Danganronpa: Angel Survivors
by KirigiriRamen
Summary: Hajime Hinata awakens to realize he is dead. Rifle-toting Kirigiri gives him the offer to join her Bullet Battlefront, fighting Tenshi, the Student Council, and investigate how and why they died. But just who pulls the strings in the Angel Player Program? Spoilers for SDR2 and DR2, and Angel Beats! Note: Not posting here anymore. Moved to Archive of our own. Thanks.
1. Prologue

Prologue:

I am possessed.

Possessed by what, you say? It is a feeling, a sensation that I have difficulty in understanding.

I am certain it is not love.

I have experienced it, or what I think it is, all shades of that thing that once clouded my thoughts. While it is enjoyable when it lasts, the world shatters me, and it forcefully ends. From this unreasonable, irrational emotion I have inspired a miracle, yet the blood flowing in my veins are undoubtedly tinged with regret.

I am unsure whether it is happiness.

Through my journey I have long forgotten what it is to be happy.

Is it to be content with life? With people still pondering the meaning of life, I can hardly be satisfied with such an answer. Though people who are satisfied are undoubtedly 'happy', humans being the irrational beings they are, will never be satisfied.

Hence, with the limited knowledge I possess, I conclude happiness is not a real emotion.

It is a desire to help.

To help those in need, and to show people the way, with its perils and constant dangers that lurk at every turn. I shall give the people I will call my friends the courage they need to seek the future.

Yes. I believe they call it hope.

The ones that can truly be saved are the ones that can help themselves.I can only do so much. Past events taunt me, save me and remind me: Intentions no matter how noble, when forced upon others, are ineffective, unwelcome, evil.

And I accept it.

As I feel the familiar sensation of the earth bolting towards me, matter rearranging itself as air slashes my face, I am born.

I will bring forth hope.

I will bring forth despair.

But above all:

I shall bring forth faith.

…

I think.

_Therefore I am._


	2. Awakening

Running. Vaulting. Veering. Breathing. Breathing Out. Falling. Screaming. Pain. Darkness.

Take all these unrelated goods and pop into the blender with just a dash of _deux ex machina, _and blitz at high speed. Serve in a tumbler glass, shaken not exploded, remove unnecessary memories that form a layer on the top and garnish with an Apollo candy. Voila. You have a protagonist.

That concludes the pilot episode of Monokuma's Cooking show for the bored.

**THE REAL WORLD**

Hajime Hinata woke.

The air was cool and somewhere he could hear crickets. A single star adorned the night sky. The lamppost above him flickered unpleasantly. A paper bag was being carried by the wind in the distance. A brief turning of the head would reveal the unnerving fact that he was lying in the middle of an open road.

_Where am I?_

He let his mind wander. _I remember... Screw this I don't remember anything!_

It wasn't until he straightened up that he noticed the rifle pointed at him.

Space grey, the nozzle smelled faintly of cordite, poised to fire, and through the sepia scope a single purple eye peered through.

Instinct told him to run, reason held him still. The sweat tasted like metal in his mouth. For a moment both figures regarded one another. The impasse was uncomfortable. Finally he spoke:

"Um... Nice weather tonight, isn't it? AHAHA-haha-heh... never mind."

The eye blinked once. The wielder of the gun detached itself from the scope and surveyed him suspiciously.

_Pink hair._

It would be more accurate to describe it as bubblegum pink. Rhinestones studded her dark gloves as she adjusted the grip of the rifle.

Finally, she relaxed.

"Welcome to the Bullet Battlefront." Her voice was detached, yet present, cold and to-the-point. She swung the rifle over her head and opened the bipod attached at the front.

"Uh... Is that a real gun?"

"Everyone asks the same question..."

She rubbed the gap between her eyes.

"It's a Steyr Scout bolt action sniper rifle, fairly lightweight and accurate enough for the target I'm aiming at. Any other questions would have to wait until you agree to join us."

"So what do I do after I join your um..."

"Bullet battlefront. If you're wondering, we're currently at a loss on what name should be given to our group. The last name we had was the Neighbors' club, only to find it was copyrighted by a rather nasty individual. Hence that's our temporary name until further notice."

Hinata sat up, frowning.

"Right, so the Bullet Battlefront. Say I join the group. What happens afterwords?"

"First you accept the fact that you're undoubtedly dead. That makes you more flexible and compliant. Then you shall participate in the daily operations we carry out for our daily lives here and find a way to solve the mystery of this place. And then most importantly we fight to avoid being obliterated."

There was something wrong somewhere in what she said, but he followed:

"Fight what?"

"Tenshi."

He strode over to her side to see where she was pointing her gun. 300 meters away, a storey below, the target was completely unaware that she was being watched, much less targeted. To be precise, she was asleep _whilst standing. _A hoodie blocked most of her facial features, as a tuft of silver-creamy hair dangled itself in time with the wind.

_However you look at it that's a defenseless girl right there. _

"If your battlefront targets innocent civilians, I might as well join the JRA."

She turned back towards him.

"Firstly, Tenshi's not innocent. For that matter nobody in this world is truly innocent. Secondly, guns do a fat lot of good in this world where no one dies. Thirdly, we do not target innocent civilians. The enemy is just undefined. And finally we do this as we fear oblivion. Got that?!"

"With all due respect, I have no Idea where I am, my brain fails, which logically suggests this is a dream or I had a serious hangover last night, which I doubt since I'm underage and I do not have the delicious side effect that is a migraine. And right now, I just think joining with her might be better than somebody toting a gun."

Again the two were silent. Finally she exhaled.

"We're both on the same side. If you don't want me pointing guns, I won't. Progress requires faith. I believe it's your turn to show some."

For the first time tonight, she revealed a small smile.

_Celestia was right.__First try and force him in, then offer him another option. __Finally, warm up to him and cover with a smile._

_Humans do tend to be more trusting when you offer them a path of retreat. They become more compliant, reasonable, and would be willing to listen to you._

As the girl attempted a reassuring smile, her mind wandered beyond.

_Society has changed us. It dictates us. What traps us are not bars, not torture chambers, but ourselves._

"Hence I ask again. Would you like to join the Bullet Battlefront?"

The teen warily inspected her gloved hand. Slowly, yet surely, he moved his hand forward.

_Finally._

_**"OI!**_** KIRIRIN!"**

The girl silently swore as both people turned to look at the man hurrying towards them.

Dressed in a neon yellow jumpsuit, complete with a bandana sandwiching his shocking pink hair, the man, also toting a firearm, hurried forward.

**Souda. Why now of all times...**

"What's taking so long with the new guy? You know best of all that we're heavily understaffed, and we need to use any means necessary to- er...(notices her hand flying to her face) Whaddid I miss?"

"I'm going down to her."

"Oh Crap crap crap crap KERAPP! Kirigiri put that down! Put that down please. Look! Puppy dog eyes! You wouldn't shoot somebody with puppy dog eyes, right?!"

Hinata was halfway down the steps when he heard the gunshot.

_Are these people idiots? _

_Bullet battlefront. Dead people. Angels. Oh my._

_She'd be more believable wearing a justice robot suit. _

"Uhh... Hello?"

A trickle of saliva dripped as the girl woke up. She calmly wiped her eyes and mouth with her sleeves, and then directed her attention towards him.

"Sorry about waking you up. Just thought you should know, two idiots out beyond were aiming a gun towards you. They also said you were an angel."

The girl cocked her face. Locks of hair billowed down.

_"_But I'm not an angel."

"That's why I told you they're idiots. And also-"

"I'm the student council president." She interrupted.

_Obviously I was mistaken. What a moron I was._

"Right, sorry for bothering you, I'll just stop at a nearby hospital to regain my bearings."

"There are no hospitals."

He stopped in his tracks.

"Why not?"

"Nobody gets sick of course." She replied as if it was obvious.

"Why?"

"Because everyone's already dead."

Blank shock presented itself to her, before Hinata composed himself.

"OH, I GET IT! YOU'RE IN ON THIS ENTIRE THING, AREN't YOU?! YOU'RE THE REASON WHY I DONT REMEMBER ANYTHING, RIGHT?"

"Amnesia is common here. Those who experienced accidents might have also felt severe head trauma, hence loss of memories are the norm."

_This can't be real. This has got to be a lie._

"All right then! Prove it! PROVE TO ME THAT I AM DEAD, CAUSE I'M HAVING A ROUGH TIME JUST THINKING ABOUT-"

"Hand sonic."

A thin blade materialized around her wrist.

There was a sickening sound, then there was peace.

The last thing he registered before blacking out was the peculiar looking hair clip on her head.


	3. Shun Goku Satsu

Hajime Hinata woke.

A sheen of sweat covered his body as he wet his lips.

_An infirmary._

The blinding sun shone through the dusty window. The dried remains of a chrysanthemum hung on an empty glass. There was the clinical, dry smell of ibuprofen, tinged with... _Where's that smell coming from?_

_What happened last night?_

Slowly, it began coming back in bursts.

Pink hair.

Battlefront.

Jumpsuit.

Gunshot.

Hospital.

SPLAT.

Hinata sat bolt upright.

_I died yesterday... Right?_

Carefully he examined his torso. His skin was smooth, and not a vestige of the carnage he experienced yesterday could be identified.

_But it hurt like hell!_

_Ok. Calm down and get dressed. Take this one step at a time. You've been smoking god-knows-what and you're probably in rehab._

He was halfway done and was about to do his buttons when he realized the front was soaked in blood.

_Tenshi._

He stifled a scream as the truth crashed around him.

_"Everyone's already dead."_

_I've got to get out of here._

Taking a deep breath, he took a nearby doctors jacket, and with shaky steps moved towards the door. _I can do this. _His hands were out reached to the door knob when it smashed open.

The biggest Man he had ever encountered was glaring towards him.

The giant took a step forward. Hinata automatically took a step back, avoiding his protruding hair.

"So, you're that kid that insulted kiriri-San, and refused to join the battlefront, aintcha?!" The giant might as well be snarling, as waves of bloodlust radiated from every crevice of his face.

_Plan A-Denial._

"Uh, ahehe... I think you've got the wrong person. He might have already left..." His voice trailed as the fact that he was the only patient sunk in.

"You've got a lotta nerve, brat. You've got a freaking death wish?!"

Hinata swallowed. This was not going well.

_Plan B-lighten conversation with humor_

"OHHH! That's a joke in this world where no one can die right? AHAHAHA. It's very funny-" his voice vanished as the giant cracked his knuckles.

"Die one thousand deaths." And he lunged.

"DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE 死死死死死死死死死 MORTE MORTE MORTE MORTE MORTE SHI SHI SHI SHI SHI SHI SHIDIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE 死死死死死死死死死 MORTE MORTE MORTE MORTE MORTE SHI SHI SHI SHI SHI SHI SHIDIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE 死死死死死死死死死 MORTE MORTE MORTE MORTE MORTE SHI SHI SHI SHI SHI SHI SHI!"

Indescribable pain rocketed every nerve of Hinata's body. It was as if every capillary in his body had acid flowing through. As the blows showed no sign of stopping, bones cracked, balls ruptured, bruises flowered into brilliant shades of blue and red. Hajime Hinata was a vegetable.

"DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE MORTE MORTE MORTE MORTE MORTE SHI SHI SHI SHI SHI SHI SHI SHI SHI

_**FULL COMBO!"**_

Blood gushing through every orifice in his body, Hinata sank knee first into the ground.

"天"

"Insult kiriri-San again and we'll dance one more time." He spat onto the ground and left without another word.

...

...

...

"ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?!" Hinata screamed as he crawled up.

_Then again, I guess that could be regarded as a pretty good comeback in this world as well._

He shakily stood up.

_I need to get out of this school, this despairingly distraught den desperately devoid of reason; I need to find somebody in charge._

_A teacher! That's it I'll begin by looking for a teacher! An orderly, a counselor or something!_

With renewed vigor, Hinata sped out of the infirmary, feeling for the first time in days, hope.

Of course, hope can last very long, or for a very short time.

_What kind of school is this huge?! Or empty for that matter?!_

A brief tour of the first floor revealed a completely empty cafeteria, along with a long hallway of dormitories. The swimming pool on the second floor was undisturbed. A wisp of coffee hovered within the library, but the chair behind the librarian's counter was empty.

_There's got to be somebody. No teacher. No councilor. No students. Ha! It's the shining all over again._

When he reached the fourth floor, however, finally, he heard a chatter of voices._ Finally, he thought. _

He looked for the source of the commotion, and reached a large oak wood door.

**Principal's Office.**

As Hinata hastily straightened his jacket and wiped his sweat, he took a deep breath.

_First impressions count._

Full of confidence he opened the gate to the future.

**5 seconds ago**

_A camera like object at the foot of the door recognized a hostility. _

_Silently, it sent a signal to the compartment concealed by a painting of a plush toy._

_A red indicator light lit up. _

_The furnace ignited itself. Hydrogen fuel was pumped into the incendiary jets attached._

_The massive beast opened its eyes. It blinked once. Twice. Slowly, yet surely it crawled, waiting for the approved speech to pass into the microphone to the right of the door._

_It was hungry. It craved blood. It had the need._

_The NEED FOR SPEED._

_Suddenly the gate opened. It scarcely believed its eyes. It screeched its approval. There was the acrid smell of burnt rubber. _

_Its feet ignited, and the beast lunged._

**Present time:**

Hinata paid little attention to the wails of a siren unnervingly nearby, and focused on the large crowd in the room.

"Excuse me, but I - ARGHHHHH!"

A fire truck speeding at a hundred miles an hour out of nowhere rammed into Hinata's side. Ribs cracked, jaws fractured, bones dislocated, Hajime Hinata as he burst (with the truck in tow) out into the open sun.

_I was wrong. This isn't a school._

Hajime thought as he fell face flat four stories down.

_It's a lunatic's asylum._

28.2 tons of brick-red painted aluminum alloy carrying 4 tires, 5000 gallons of water, a windshield and sand buckets rammed onto Hinata's spine. Fragments of glass embedded themselves into his raw flesh. Any attempts to breathe would result in glass dust filling his lungs. Pressurized Water sprayed in a vertical fountain out of the chassis, and rainbows danced onto the macabre sight below.

The fire truck toppled over to a side, and all was still.


	4. Tea, Boats and Reincarnation

Hajime Hinata **NO.**

_If all that happens if I wake up is a slasher, a fist fight and a freak road accident, I'd rather not wake up._

The cushiony surface he was lying upon smelt of leather

_That's right. Pretend to be asleep and assess the situation._

_"_Undead battlefront." A burly voice offered.

"No. Nothing related to death, please. You next." _That's the voice of the sniper yesterday._

_"_Anonymous." A small voice replied.

"Not all of us are hacktivists, Fujisaki-San."

"Lost Lambs of the Shemhamphorasch."

_"_Oh, piss off Tanaka."

"Apologize to him now!"

"YES MA'AM!"

"I told you plebeians we should keep it nice and simple. Togami battlefront."

"DENIED."

_Right. This is decidedly a madhouse._ Curiosity drove away all reason as he permitted his eyes to flutter open.

Overly obese Fatso: "Kirigiri-dono, I have come up with a glorious name fitting of our battalion. Shingeki no tenshi!"

Kirigiri: "Advancing angels?"

Overly obese and nasal Fatso: "ATTACK ON TENSHI!"

Kirigiri: "While epic, the name is more suited to operations. Plus the fact that comparing tenshi with the smiling Titan is enough to give me nightmares."

Nurse: Uhh...

Kimono: Shut it bitch pig.

Nurse: I'm sorry! Forgive me.

Baby face: We need something that strikes fear into the hearts of others.

(Everyone's attention is directed to the speaker)

Baby face: Something that represents us, yet is recognizable by the public to make them wet their pants.

Kirigiri: Intriguing. And what's this awe-inspiring idea you have for us?

Baby face: Kuzuryuu clan.

(Silence throughout the room)

Hinata: And how is the image of a baby face supposed to strike fear in the hearts of others?

Baby face: DO YOU HAVE A FRICKING DEATH WISH?!

Kirigiri: Calm down Kuzuryuu. It seems our guest has finally woken up.

"If getting a fire truck rammed into my posterior is your way of treating guests, I really don't want to see what you plan to do with your enemies."

"That was designed to keep outsiders out. There's a pass code we speak to get in." Kirigiri coolly replied.

"Oh yeah. You got hit, right? How was it? I designed the trap mechanism myself, ya know." Jumpsuit excitedly asked.

"It was the single most painful feeling I had ever experienced, beating even the time I got stabbed in the gut by a knife-toting girl."

"Well, if you consider the chronological order of events, you did ask for it. So in view of the past events that occurred, I offer you for the second time: will you join the, um, battlefront?"

"I refuse. My sole wish is to get out of this madhouse."

At this sentence, many a brow was raised.

"Did I hear you right? A peasant like you seriously wishes to be obliterated?" A blonde teen probed.

"If that's what it takes."

"I AM SHOCKED. 100 MEGAWATT SHOCKED! WHAT TEMERITY! WHAT GALL! TO GIVE UP BEFORE THE BATTLE BEGINS ANEW IS UNBECOMING FOR A YOUNG TEEN FULL OF PROMISE LIKE YOU!" A hot-blooded boy screamed.

"I don't even understand why we are fighting."

"Even so, you do realize the potential consequences of being obliterated?" A blue-haired girl asked.

"What consequences o.0?"

"Ufufu. How naive. To plunge into a future of the unknown is most unwise."

The voice belonged to a girl clad in Victorian garb, with pigtails _are they extensions..._ flowing down to her shoulders.

She took a sip from the teacup she balanced in her saucer, and then continued calmly:

"Yamada, the tea has gone cold. Be a dear and run down to fetch more."

"Ehh?! But-but it was steaming when I brought it to you, Celes-dono. You said you wanted to wait until it's cooled-"

"ARE YOU DENYING ME?!" She screamed, and in that moment all composure she reserved vanished, and a feral beast took its place.

"IM GOING I'M GOING!" Yamada ran out the door.

"Excuse me, that was rather unladylike of me, wasn't it?" She smiled as she adjusted the hem of her sleeves.

"Moving on, you do understand the idea of reincarnation, don't you? Essentially, there is the belief the soul never dies. When your body fails to be a vessel for it, the soul escapes and gets reborn as another living organism."

"Yes. That is the general idea, I guess."

"However, the theory of reincarnation does not deny the possibility that you would be reincarnated as a geoduck egg."

_**What.**_

"I'm not the expert by any means on what happens after you get obliterated. Tanaka?"

"Feh. The mendacious one seeks my help. Huahahaha!" The teen called Tanaka folded his heavily bandaged arms, and then began:

"The Chinese believe that we have 18 levels of hell, and the four heavenly gods of destruction shall judge your crimes and see what animal you are worthy of being reborn into. Once you do your Dantesque torture, you encounter the old one who serves you the soup of amnesia, letting you forget your past life, and directs you to the gate back into the real world."

"As expected of Tanaka-San, what luck to be illuminated with such wisdom of the occult!" The girl who spoken clapped her hands in delight and admiration. Hinata noted Jumpsuit gagging in the corner of his eyes.

"But that is merely an appetizer in the subject of the nether realm. Moving on! The Hindu code of Manu-"

"Tanaka-San I believe he gets the point." Kirigiri interjected. "The point is, it's still too early to venture into the unknown. Won't you join us in searching for the answers, and fight alongside us?"

Hinata looked at the hand outstretched in front of him. _This is stupid. This is so unbelievably surreal._

He hesitated, and started raising his hand once more.

_**INTRUDER ALERT!**_

"Not again." Kirigiri rubbed the bridge of her nose.

Everyone diverted their attention to the door as it swung open.

_**"**_**CELES-DONO HERE'S YOUR TEEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"**

A 60 foot yacht was launched onto Yamada's side, crashing out of the hall. As everyone ran to the window to get a closer look outside, the yacht with Yamada in tow crashed onto the track underneath. The yacht tottered for a moment, then fell face flat onto Yamada's admittedly huge body.

_Was that how I looked like before? _Hinata wondered as he surveyed the wreckage below.

For a moment, the silence was paramount. Then Tanaka cleared his throat and remarked:

"Nice boat."


	5. Orientation

Chapter 4:

**PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE**

"Right. Now face the front please." The brunette up front adjusted the lens of her camera as Hinata swung his seat to the side.

5 minutes ago the leader of the battlefront (_**Kirigiri, I think it was) **_gave the order for the rather shy nurse (**Tsumiki, **he then learned) to escort Yamada to the infirmary. Then she gave orders for 'business as usual', but told a few to show Hinata the ropes.

_Should I-_

"No, don't smile. It's rather unnerving."

**FLASH!**

"Alright. You're done here. Move to the library on the second floor for the background check." She spoke brusquely as she carefully stowed her camera back into her bag.

"_Background Check? _Am I being arrested or what?"

She looked up, frowning.

"Well, Kirigiri insists on it for everyone. She says it might help in solving the mystery of why everyone was brought here."

"Ok Ok." _Fat lot of good it will do, I don't remember a bloody thing. _

"So I believe we haven't been properly introduced to each other. I'm Hajime Hinata."

"Mahiru Koizumi. And that's as much as I'm willing to tell you at the moment." Without another wasted moment, she took the bag and stalked out of the room.

_**What the heck is wrong with her?**_

Hinata sighed. It had been an exhausting day. The coffee luwack brought from the cafeteria vending machine proved to be ineffective in relieving his fatigue.

Finishing the last dregs of coffee in the cup, he properly looked at his surroundings. Apart from the walls decorated with various photos that Koizumi had apparently taken, the trophy case was decidedly empty. There was a richly filled bookshelf, which on closer inspection by Hinata, was filled with books about philosophy about society as a whole.

_The Communist Manifesto, Karl Marx? Somebody's been doing some serious reading._

He decided to take a look at the oak desk. A few files were littered on the desk. It was then that Hinata noticed the drawers on the underside.

Somewhere inside Hinata's brain, two of his brain's biggest instincts fought fiercely. Invasion of privacy of someone you just met was a very bad idea, yet the other piece of grey matter wanted answers **STAT.**

Checking that he was alone, he opened the first drawer, and a brochure with the emblem of a school greeted him.

_**Hope's Peak Private Academy?**_

He opened the brochure and read:

'_Hope's Peak Private Academy. Government funded, this prestigious academy aspires to gather and cultivate high school students excelling in their respective academic fields. _

_It is a school with several hundred years of history, legendary for sending its top students into leading roles in every professional field time after time.__Its stated goal is to raise this nation's __"hope"__ that will bear the country's future on their shoulders. Accordingly, some people call this remarkable place the "Academy of Hope"._

_To be accepted into this prestigious school, one must fulfill the following criteria:_

_You must be currently enrolled at a high school._

_You must super-excel at your field of expertise.'_

Hinata whistled. _Ultimate Talents, huh?_ There was no date provided on the brochure.

_Well, at least that's one thing sorted out. On to drawer two._

'Having fun?'

_Holy F- _Hinata spun around. The cold visage of Kirigiri stared straight back at him.

'Ishimaru is having a fit downstairs. I concluded you must be still here. Do you find pleasure in invading the privacy of others?'

'Uhh…Uh… I'm sorry. I just wanted answers.'

She sighed. 'For the record, next time just ask. You haven't seen anything that was worth keeping private, but consider this a warning. Don't do it again.'

'Knowing you, if I asked I don't think I would get an answer.' Hinata pointed out.

For the first time since he came here, the girl seemed to lose composure for a split second. She seemed angry, disappointed even, before regaining her poker face.

'Rest assured if I keep things from the group I will have good reasons for doing so. Now get down to the Library. Any longer now and Ishimaru is going to have a coronary.'

Defeated, Hinata placed the brochure back into the drawer and trudged out of the room.

'Wait.'

Hinata stopped and looked expectantly towards Kirigiri.

She bit her lip.

'I'll answer your questions with what I know later on the roof.'

Hinata smiled.

'Thanks a lot in advance!' And with a quick nod to the head, he rushed downstairs.

**Library: 2****nd**** Floor**

"WHERE WERE YOU?! We are 15 minutes behind schedule!"

"Silence, plebian. This is hardly anything to get this angry over."

Sitting opposite Hinata was the hot-blooded boy and the blonde from before. Both radiated a sense of authority, but they were vastly different. The one on Hinata's right was visibly angry, and as he hastily adjusted the medal on the left breast pocket of his white uniform, beads of perspiration dripped from his face in effort. The one on the left, however, was acting like he didn't have a care in the world, and continued reading the book he was holding.

_The Republic, by Socrates? Who is this guy?_

"First things first, in becoming a member of the battlefront, you must be punctual for all events, operations and battles in the upcoming months. Tardiness will not be accepted unless you have a sufficiently serious injury. For further information, please read clause 12 of the Agreement."

With that, the boy brought out a stack of papers the height of Hinata's protruding hair.

"Secondly, I would like you to fill out your personal particulars in the form below. This would include name, age, sex, date of birth, Drivers license if you have one and any records of your medical history."

It was as if the boy had an AK-47 for a mouth. As he rattled on detail upon detail on the proper procedures, Hinata found himself struggling to keep up.

"Fifthly, if it is possible, I would like you to consider the following jobs available in the battlefront, and select three of them you would be interested in. If you are musically talented, you can opt for the Diversion Division in the times we do Operation Tornado. You would join the incredibly talented singer Maizono-san, drummer Kuwata-kun and occasionally me on the keyboard. If you find yourself adept at handling weaponry, you can join our main squad-"

"WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT MATE KURA SAI!" Hinata screamed.

"Yes?"

"Firstly, you had me at thirdly. I would advise you to speak slowly and articulate your words better."

The boy nodded. "Noted. What else?"

"Secondly, you should know its rude to ask for personal information without presenting that piece of personal information yourself."

"Oh Lord. Please excuse my shallowness."

He cleared his throat.

"My name is Kiyotaka Ishimaru! I am the Monitor of this yet-to-be-finally-named battlefront, and I am very pleased to make your acquaintance in the time to come."

Silence befell the three as all of them sat waiting for something. The blond lazily turned a page of his book.

"TOGAMI INTRODUCE YOURSELF!" Ishimaru instructed.

"Honestly, if only that abnormally huge mouth of yours could be directed someplace else rather than my face."

He marked the page he was reading and closed the book.

"I am Byakuya Togami. I am head of the Togami Conglomerate, and the Vice-Chair of the Battlefront directly under Kirigiri. Your turn."

"My name is Hajime Hinata."

"Hajime… Hinata?" Ishimaru scrunched his face together, deep in thought.

"Hajime… Hinata… THAT IS A BEAUTIFUL NAME! You should thank your parents for bestowing upon you such a glorious name!"

_Is this guy for real? _

"Age… I'm sorry I don't remember."

"That's alright. What do you remember?"

Hinata thought hard.

'Just my name and what happened for the past few days.'

'EH?! That's interesting.' Ishimaru exclaimed.

'What's interesting?'

'Most of the people we interviewed had memories of their past lives to some extent. This would include some of their times with their families, primary or middle schools, friends and so on. Then at some point in time they don't remember anything else. We assume that's when they died. For example, I remember things during my middle school that-' Ishimaru stopped himself. 'that really is unnecessary knowledge for your part.'

Awkward silence followed.

"So we'll put your Background as 'unknown' for now. Now, please decide on an occupation for the battlefront." Ishimaru handed him a slip of paper.

'Jobs of the Bullet Battlefront:

1) Diversion Division: For the musically adept and interested. Employees are to keep audience distracted for Operation Tornado to take effect.

2) Military Squadron: For those adept in weaponry and hand-to-hand combat. Duties include but are not limited to defending Diversion division during Operation Tornado from Tenshi.

3) Armory: For those able in the assistance of the creation of weapons for the Battlefront.

4) Investigative Bureau: To investigate the mystery of Hope's Peak Academy, ourselves and the Student Council.

5) Administration: Responsible for the archives and documentation of any findings of the investigative Bureau.

Those interested in any jobs may contact Ishimaru in his dormitory.'

"Questions, Hinata-kun?"

"Yeah. What's Operation tornado?"

Both Togami and Ishimaru knowingly smiled.

"You'll get to take part in it tonight, I believe if all goes well. So what job do you prefer?"

"I'm not sure."

"Ishimaru, lets just place him the squadron for now. We'll have Souda And Nidai suit him up." Togami was becoming increasingly exasperated at the complete lack of information that Hinata provided.

"Noted. Are you all right with that, Hinata-kun?"

Hinata nodded. It was as good a job he could get at the moment.

"Right." Togami extracted a slip of paper from a ring file. "This is the List of people within this battlefront. You'll get to know them well within this period of time."

"Thank you. Is that all?"

"It is. Now if you would excuse me, I have a book to finish. If you find yourself in need of company, **DON'T LOOK FOR ME.**"

With that, he exited the library.

"Now, really!" Ishimaru hastily gathered the papers and hurried after Togami, leaving Hinata alone and very confused.

_Amnesia is common here, huh. Then why am I the only one with it?_

He examined the faculty list:

**Kyouko Kirigiri**

**Byakuya Togami**

**Souda Kazuichi**

**Mondo Oowada**

**Chihiro Fujisaki**

**Teruteru Hanamura**

**Hiyoko Saionji**

**Mahiru Koizumi**

**Kuzuryuu Fuyuhiko**

**Kiyotaka Ishimaru **

**Hifumi Yamada**

**Aoi Asahina **

**Sakura Oogami**

**Souda Kazuichi**

**Nekomaru Nidai**

**Celestia Von Ludenberg**

**Mikan Tsumiki**

**Peko Pekoyama**

**Leon Kuwata**

**Sayaka Maizono**

**Tanaka Gundam**

_Quite a list. _Hinata thought.

As he proceeded to exit the library, Hinata stopped short. Beneath Tanaka's name, the portion of paper was noticeably cleaner than the rest of the page. As he examined it closer, he noted crease marks on the region.

_**A NAME WAS ERASED. **_

Mind racing, he examined the paper again. It was crumpled and aged. It must have happened a period ago.

_If I could find this person, I could potentially find out a lot more about this place than what Kirigiri is willing to tell me._

Hinata considered the circumstance. _No. Best not to mention this to Kirigiri. I'll search for clues for this person myself._

Filled with renewed vigor, Hinata sped out to the rooftop.

Perhaps it was due to the exhilaration at such a revelation that Hinata failed to notice the figure lurking in the shadows behind him.


	6. Houston We have a problem

Chapter 6: OPERATION TORNADO

**Rooftop**

The sun was setting on the horizon, elongating the shadows of the trees planted alongside the track. People training below started to head back into the school interior, and the air was light with the faint aromas of bread from the cafeteria below.

'This school is Huge.' Hinata said out loud.

'Massive. Nothing but the best facilities for the 'hopes of the world', enlightening the future with their intellect and talent.'

Kirigiri emerged behind the water tanker.

'Alright, Hinata-kun. Shoot.'

He walked beside Kirigiri as they aimlessly circled the rooftop.

'Question one: Who are you guys?'

'We are high school students who have died and passed on into this afterlife.' She said simply.

'Why did you form the battlefront?'

'Because somebody must have been responsible for our lives and consequently our deaths. Dying at such a young age leaves regrets, which leads to resent, which leads to anger, and anger with purpose must somehow lead to change.'

'You can remember your past life?'

'Snippets of it. But only up to a certain point.'

She fiddled with her gloves as she spoke.

'We want to keep fighting, even if it means directly opposing God.'

'God? You believe he exists?' Hinata stopped short.

She considered Hinata's question.

'It is directly against my ethics to believe that which is unknown. However, the very fact that we are here implies that there must be somebody, some force of some sort that controls our lives. Hence, before we get concrete evidence, I believe it is more logical and convenient to assume that he does indeed exist.'

_There is some logic to that, I guess._

'Ok then. So do the others also share your views?'

'Most of them do to an extent. A common trait I've noticed amongst the members of the battlefront is that none of them could remember their deaths. Humans, being the curious creatures they are, will of course strive to know the truth before moving on.'

She checked her watch. 'It's almost time for the briefing of Operation Tornado. I'll allow 5 more minutes.'

Hinata began anew: "Why are we fighting against Tenshi? Why her, specifically?"

Kirigiri rubbed the bridge of her nose. 'I consider her to be an anomaly. She doesn't seem to be an NPC-'

'NPC?'

'Non-playable-character. A term coined by our programmer, Fujisaki-san. You would notice students who go with the flow of our normal school program like nothings wrong around us. They are undoubtedly NPCs, devoid of rational or irrational thought like us. I believe they were in this place from the very beginning.'

Hinata suddenly had a vision of an shopkeeper repeating the same line over and over.

'How do they act?'

'Oh. They're typically normal students, who actually try their best in this school as if they were alive.'

'Do they have the same reactions as us?'

'Oh yes. Oh and don't try groping them to prove it, its already been done. Hanamura-kun once tried that on an unsuspecting girl and earned a swift slap to his face.'

_So the battalion is full of the crazy ones. Good to know._

'Back to Tenshi then. She attended classes and did well, and her grades were good enough for her to be nominated for the cabinet council. I briefly conversed with her in the rare times she was awake, and my suspicions that she was different was aroused.'

'How so?'

'Firstly, although she actually takes the initiative to apply herself in the school curricula, she is motionless, unsociable and she doesn't talk much, unlike normal NPCs. Second is the fact that despite being able to think for herself, she encourages the students here to enjoy school life and plays her part in enforcing the school rules.'

_Enjoy the fact that they're dead, and they still have to go to school? _

'Lastly, the fact that she has weaponry unlike that we have seen before.'

'Weaponry? You mean that um… Hand sonic, was it?'

'That's one. She's also highly adept in combat.'

At that, Kirigiri looked at him square in the eye.

'All of this points to a fact: She must be working for a higher power, to encourage such beliefs, and have such weaponry. Our objective is to find out who is that final person to get answers about our past lives.'

Hinata stayed silent. _God. Allah. Zeus. Siddhartha Gautama. So one of them does exist. Curious. Very curious. _

'Why is she dangerous? I mean, apart from the fact that she's a serial slasher.'

'The people who do enjoy school life under her influence get obliterated.'

_Wait, WHAT?!_

'The people who don't follow rules first get a verbal warning, then subsequent affairs get them a good stab in the gut. Hence, long story short, don't attend clubs, don't nominate yourself for student council, don't be the teachers pet, because you will vanish and be reborn as a channeled apple snail. Until further notice.'

Kirigiri had managed to say that without even blinking. _This is one scary poker face. _

Suddenly the shrill sound of a bell began ringing.

'That's the dismissal bell. That means its time.'

'So what on earth is Operation TORNADO?'

'Attend the briefing in the principals office. The Password's 11037.'

With that, she turned on her heel and left the area, leaving a troubled Hinata to comprehend the full situation he found himself in.

**PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE:**

"OK guys. I need your attention people. Pekoyama-san please return the hamsters to Tanaka-kun. Kuwata-kun take your eyes off her for one second and look in front!"

The 20 people assembled in the room momentarily stopped what they were doing, giving Kirigiri their full and undivided attention.

_My very first operation in this Battlefront. It better not be anything particularly difficult._

"Right. It's 8:15 People! You all know the drill. In 15 minutes time we will commence Operation Tornado. LETS BLOW THE STUDENTS' FOOD TICKETS AWAY!"

_**... SAY WHAT?**_

"So giving out the jobs today: Military Squadron will be joined with new recruit Hinata Hajime, the diversion-division-"

"WAIT. WE'RE STEALING FOOD? FROM INNOCENTS?! THAT'S BULLYING! OH God, this is so disappointing. You're just a couple of hotshots with weapons!"

"You wanna dance again, brat?" The man who beat Hinata up earlier this morning emerged from the corner, cracking his knuckles menacingly.

He swallowed.

"Calm yourself, Hinata-kun. We will never threat normal students with weapons or sheer numbers." The burly voice belonged to an androgynous, highly muscular figure standing beside Asahina Aoi.

"But you just said you were going to steal them!"

"Yes. We are literally going to blow them away." Kirigiri cut in.

"Ok. Repeating the line up for today- Diversion division will include Maizono-san as lead guitarist and singer, Saionji as a back-up dancer, Kuwata-kun on drums, Koizumi on Bass, Sonia on the keyboard and back-up singer and Aoi-san as back-up vocalist. Oh and Fujisaki-san on special effects."

"So during which song will you turn on the turbines?" Maizono asked.

"**Wish Ensemble** seems like the crowd favorite." Kirigiri mused.

"So's Maizono-san! AHAHAHA! IDOL GROUP GIRLDEMO FOR THE WIN!" Kuwata exclaimed.

"I was under the impression that it was an all girls group when I agreed to participate." Sonia sighed.

"Oh it is. Just view him as an ornament. Or an illustration. Or a red dumptruck." Saionji consoled her.

"Right. Back to the topic at hand: Yamada will sell Girldeadmonster merchandise, raising money for the battlefront. Do you have the new collectible figurines?"

"YES! Priced at 5000 yen each! And Kirigiri-dono, I would like for you to authorize the selling of this doujinshi!" Yamada brought a box filled with comics up to her desk and handed her a copy.

As Kirigiri skimmed through the doujinshi, Hinata noticed subtle differences in her face. At first, it was perfectly calm. Then, she started biting her lower lip. Her eyebrows furrowed, and a vein began pulsing in her left temple.

"So what do you think? It's going to be a bestseller for sure, no?"

"**ABSOLUTELY NOT!**"

"But-but-but Kirigiri-dono, fan service is all the rage these days! Check it out, there's a lot of cute girl-on-girl action going on around here! It's the nicest thing since Sakura Tri-" Yamada stopped as all the girls glared at him. The temperature of the room seemed to have dropped to an all time low.

"I am not that desperate, Yamada. And for the record, keep your perverted fantasies to yourself." With that, she opened the window and threw the entire contents of the box outside.

"Right. Pekoyama, Tsumiki and Oogami will keep in contact with me for the entire duration of the operation. The rest of the guys will barricade the school gymnasium preventing Tenshi from getting remotely close to it. Questions?"

Hinata raised his hand.

"Yes?"

"What exactly does preventing tenshi from getting to the school gymnasium entail?"

"Shoot her, slice her into minced meat, engage in a fist fight with her for all I care. I doubt it would work anyway. Everyone clear?"

The entire room gave out voices of assent.

"Great. Meeting adjourned. Souda will bring Hinata out to the 3rd floor armory to get him a gun. Decide where you'll have him situated yourself."

"On it, Kirigiri-san!"

**Workshop:**

**THE FOLLOWING ROOM IS NOT THE PROPERTY OF THE BULLETIME BATTLEFRONT. WE DON'T NOT HANDLE EXTREMELY UNDANGEROUS WEAPONRY INSIDE ANOTHER ROOM. PLEASE GO RIGHT IN! :D**

_What the flying F-_

Souda laughed. "Your face says it all. It was Celestia's Idea. Shes a big believer in reverse psychology and quadruple negatives and so far its worked out fine. Nobody has bothered looking inside ever since!"

"So she's a psychologist?"

"Something like that. Word of advice, never play cards with her. She'll screw you over and you're just going to admire how she does it."

He took out a key from his back pocket and unlocked the door.

"Well, Hinata-kun: welcome to my CRIB!"

Hinata took one look into the room and decided: This had to be the coolest place he had ever been to.

Inside the dimly lit room, guns of all sizes were lovingly arranged onto the walls. Magazines and cartridges littered the workbenches around. In the corner, a large crate of grenades stood, sorted neatly into normal ones, flashbangs, smoke grenades and tear gas canisters.

_Jesus. You could start a war with these mob supplies._

"Right. So lets get you a gun. But first lets take a good look at yourself."

He surveyed him top to bottom. Suddenly he grabbed at Hinata's arm. "Well, one things for sure. You cant handle heavy weaponry yet. Recoil takes some time to get used to. So until then, lets get you a basic hand gun."

He opened a drawer in one of the workbenches and pulled out a Colt 1911 Government. Souda weighed it in his hands. "Would you prefer a reliable gun, or do you want me to do some tinkering and fix you one sweet kick-ass firearm?"

"Wouldn't that gun be good enough?" Hinata pointed out.

Souda considered it. The Colt 1911 Government was by every count, a classic. It had served in both world wars, and is still being used today, despite lighter variants such as the Heckler and Koch USP.

"You're right, I can tinker later. From now on this beauty will be your wife!" He said as he tossed the gun to Hinata.

The feeling of cold metal in his grip was different compared to before. Reverence was felt as Hinata acknowledged the danger of the gun, and awe as he realized he had control over such an item.

'You're certain people wont die if I shoot them?' Hinata asked.

'Want to test it out?' Souda finished loading a submachine gun and pointed it at Hinata.

'Ok. Shutting up.'

"Right. Here's a holster and an extra magazine. Chances are you wont need it, but its always fun to be trigger-happy." He grinned.

**School Gym: 1****st**** Floor **

"Nidai, could you set the drums over there please? Thanks a lot."

The members of the Idol Group Girlsdeadmonster were assembled back stage. The curtains were drawn, yet they could already hear the chants of the growing crowd outside.

The excitement felt familiar to Sayaka Maizono as she applied a soft veneer of foundation over her already doll-like face.

"_Starting today, you'll be our lead vocalist for the diversion division! I wish you the best of luck!" _

The walkie-talkie on the makeup counter interrupted its usual static: 'Guys we have one minute. Get into your positions, over.'

Sayaka put down her powder puff and gracefully glided to the stage. She laughed inwards as Kuwata saw her approaching and rotated 30 degrees, such that his new earring could be clearly displayed.

"Boys." Koizumi sniffed.

"Girls. What's your point?" Kuwata shot out.

"Places people! AND GOOD LUCK TO YOU ALL!" Nidai shouted.

_It's almost time. And what an experience it's going to be._

_The curtains finally swing open, and I see you all, my fans, my joy, my life, as you scream with excitement to see me._

_And I feel it: The tension, the exhilaration, the adrenaline coursing through my veins._

_And I hear it: The applause, the cheers, the chants for me._

_And I see it: The exhilaration, the elation, eagerly expecting me and my music. _

_I am not typical!_

_I am an IDOL!_

Somewhere behind the stage, Fujisaki presses a switch, and colored lights shone on the crew.

"Everyone: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING!" Sonia called.

"WE LOVE YOU GUYS!" Maizono winked!

"I DON'T!" Saionji teased!

Koizumi strummed the first few chords. The crowd went nuts as they heard the familiar instrumental introduction of 'Monochrome Answer'.

_This is my dream come true!_

With that, Sayaka grabbed the mike stand and let her voice soar.

**1****st**** Floor Hallway**

They ultimately decided to put Hinata outside the Entrance Hall. It was a less common route that Tenshi took, and it would mean that the risk posed to Hinata would be much smaller compared to the others stationed outside Hotel Despair, the school dormitories. But if he did see her, all he would need to do is fire to alert the squadron to his position.

_In other words, this is where the risk of me cocking it up is the least, huh. _

He shivered as the winds cut into his arms. _I should have kept on the doctors' jacket._ He diverted his attention to the gym. Girldemo had just finished a song, and he heard thunderous applause and cheering.

As the second song began, a second gust of wind forced Hinata back to his senses. _God, its freezing. _

It was then that he sensed he wasn't alone.

He whipped around to see the eyes of Tenshi staring blankly at him 20 meters away.

Involuntarily, his legs started shaking. _Idiot. Calm yourself and get a shot in. The others will do the rest._ Taking a deep breath, he took out the pistol and aimed at Tenshi.

Unfazed, she began walking towards the entrance hall.

_So she thinks I'm the weakest link, huh? _

18 meters.

Sweat began accumulating in the palms of his hands.

15 metres.

'_Don't hesitate and just SHOOT!' Kirigiri's voice rang in his head._

With that, he aimed the pistol towards her right foot and pulled the trigger.

The world seemed to have gone into slow motion. For the first time, Hinata could see things as it slowed down, how he pulled the trigger, how the gun barely produced a sound as Tenshi continued pulling closer. _Is this what they mean when people experience the 'superhuman' effect?_

10 meters.

_**SHIT! **__The Gun's not working you daft bimbo!_

_8 meters._

As Hinata fumbled with the gun, wondering what was wrong, Sayaka Maizono had finished the first chorus.

'Twinkle twinkle little star~"

_Do you know how to use this gun?!_

Suddenly, a bolt of inspiration struck Hinata.

_The fricking Safety catch, you dimwit._

6 meters.

Hinata quickly removed the safety catch and aimed it once again at the girl. He closed his eyes.

_Sorry about this. _

**BANG!**

The bullet struck her cleanly in her thigh. She gave a small gasp of pain as blood trickled in two clean streams down her leg.

_Bullseye. _

The relief was short lived as the girl stood up. As Hinata watched, the bullet began forcing itself out of her leg. Within seconds, the wound had healed.

_That's not bloody fair. _Hinata thought as he hoisted the gun again.

'Hand Sonic.' She whispered.

The very same blade materialized out of thin air in her hands.

Panicked, Hinata shot again, but this time Tenshi effortlessly deflected it with a swift swing of the blade.

_You've got to be kidding me. _

Tenshi began advancing towards him, deflecting each bullet that Hinata fired. It was then that he finally realized how much of a disadvantage he was at.

_Wait. Shouldn't Souda and the others be here by now?_

As Hinata slowly backed into the entrance hall, he could see no sign of the other members of the squadron.

A cold wave of despair flooded Hinata.

_Don't tell me, they were killed in action?!_

_Well that's bloody brilliant. Now I'm screwed!_

_**GYMNASIUM:**_

Kirigiri stood in a corner of the gym, silently observing the crowd and its tension level.

"Kirigiri, Tenshi has made contact with Hinata. Over."

She whipped out the walkie talkie in her pocket.

"I hear you, Oogami. Another minute should suffice. Over."

"But there's a slight problem. Over."

"What?!" Kirigiri frowned. _I couldn't have made a mistake, did I?_

"Half the squadron stationed outside, led by Souda, have found Yamada's doujinshi you threw out. They're reading it eagerly right now."

Kirigiri said a very rude word.

"I beg your pardon, Kirigiri-san?"

"Sorry, it just slipped. Is Togami with them?"

"Negative, he and Tanaka are inside but over this noise I doubt he could hear the gunshot."

Kirigiri thought hard. "Oogami take my place in the gym I'll take her on myself."

"Roger that."

_Souda, Hanamura, you and I are going to have a very long talk when I get back._

Taking one final look at her watch, she sped out of the gym.

50 seconds remain.


	7. PUNISHMENT TAIMU!

**Dormitory**

Sonia hastily backed away.

"Sayaka-san, this is wrong!"

This did little to put her off, as Maizono put her mouth into hers one more time.

_Not good. My inhibitions… this is surely wrong._

_Yet why do I feel so good when I'm with her, and her only?_

Maizono gently retracted her kiss. Sonia gasped for breath. Each second passed slowly as they stared into each others eyes.

"You're beautiful, Sonia. You're the only one I ever wanted."

**THE REAL WORLD: OUTSIDE HOTEL ZETSUBOU**

"HAHA! WE REALLY HIT THE JACKPOT! YAMADA YOU'RE AMAZING!" Souda laughed as he eagerly flipped the page.

"This, now this truly is a masterpiece!" Hanamura dreamily stared at the illustration of the silhouette of Sonia being undressed.

Souda had led the others in a search for the doujinshi as soon as he left Hinata to his own devices. Soon, Kuzuryuu of all people found it among a row of shrubs, and eventually, some of whom required heavy persuading, all of them grabbed a copy.

"You know, Yamada could really make a killing with these." Mondo mused.

"Something wrong, Kuzuryuu?"

Kuzuryuu had stayed completely silent through the duration that he read the book.

"Oh, uh… nothing." Kuzuryuu said as a feeble attempt of bravery.

"Come off it!" Souda snatched Kuzuryuu's copy away.

"GIVE THAT BACK YOU SHITHEAD!" Kuzuryuu shouted as he chased Souda around.

"Ooh! Isn't this Pekoyama-san in her black thong? So you've got your eyes on her this entire time?"

Kuzuryuu turned beet red in embarrassment.

"OK! YOU'RE IN FOR IT! YOU'RE SLEEPING WITH THE FISHES TONIGHT!"

"Guys! We have an emergency here!"

The shrill voice of Kiyotaka Ishimaru put the boys back to their attention.

"Haven't you people forgotten?" He said in despair.

"Forgotten what?" Oowada asked.

Ishimaru rubbed his face.

"Don't tell me you forgotten. It's so typically irresponsible of you guys!"

There was utter confusion as they struggled to comprehend the meaning behind his words. What was it they had forgotten?

"YOU'VE FORGOTTEN THIS, YOU IDIOTS!" Ishimaru grabbed the comic and flipped to page 23.

"**OWNING CHILD PORNOGRAPHY IS A CRIMINAL OFFENCE!" **He screamed as he gestured to an illustration of Saionji and Fujisaki making out.

"That? Come on. I thought it was something serious." Souda rolled his eyes.

"WE'LL BE SKINNED ALIVE!"

"Calm down. Kirigiri-san won't scold us as long as we get the job done. And we're keeping watch outside for Tenshi outside Hotel Zetsubou, no? Hakuna Matata, amigos." Souda gave the thumbs up sign, and then returned back to his book.

**ENTRANCE HALL DOORWAY:**

_WHERE THE HECK ARE THE PEOPLE SUPPOSED TO BE OUTSIDE WHEN YOU NEED THEM?!_

Hinata had already exhausted his first cartridge, and had just finished inserting his last one when Tenshi just entered the building.

'Shooting love shooting heart~' They had just begun the second chorus.

_OH SHUT UP AND GET ON WITH IT! _Hinata thought as he aimed for a headshot.

**BANG! BANG! BANG!**

And of course it turned out all of the three bullets were deflected by Tenshi in swift succession. Hinata fell on his back in his haste. She continued to move towards Hinata, brandishing the blade menacingly.

"WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT!" Hinata screamed.

Surprisingly, the girl stopped.

"Before you stab me is this what you really want?" Hinata slowly asked.

"Firearms are prohibited in school." She whispered.

"… Yeah but aren't you going to give me a verbal warning first?"

"No." She said simply.

"WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?!" Hinata wailed.

"This, is all for the sake for a brighter future for you all."

… _**Future? For our sakes?**_

"This might hurt just a little." She warned as she raised the blade.

Resigned, with his back to the wall, Hinata bowed. _Well, that's that then. I'm dead._

"Hey you little creep, that guy's my subordinate."

**BANG!**

Hinata reeled in shock. Tenshi was shot squarely in the back. Both turned to get a look at their new assailant.

**BANG! BANG!**

Standing outside the entrance hall, Kirigiri fired another two shots towards the already wounded Tenshi. Tenshi reflexively rolled back and turned towards her.

_I'm saved._

For a moment, both girls surveyed each other. The tension between the two was paramount.

Without warning, Tenshi's image vanished into thin air. Kirigiri instinctively sidestepped and evaded her attack from behind.

_She's FAST!_

"What do you call that technique again?" Kirigiri spat as she fired another round from her Glock 30.

"Delay." Tenshi easily ducked and kicked Kirigiri square in the chest.

Winded, Kirigiri took a few steps back, wheezing.

"TANAKA!" She yelled.

"INFINITY UNLIMITEDO FURAMU!"

The door to the infirmary burst open as Tanaka flew out.

"To challenge me, lost lamb? Huahahahaha! Prepare to rot into the depths of hell!"

Expertly, he launched a roundhouse kick towards her navel.

"Overdrive." She whispered.

**Newton's First Law: **When viewed in an inertial reference frame, an object either is at rest or moves at a constant velocity, unless acted upon by an external force.

Tenshi responded with a side thrust kick. The impact seemed to cause shockwaves to echo throughout the hallway.

**Newton's Second Law: **Force equates to Mass x Acceleration.

She struck outwards with her blade, and managed to impale Tanaka's outstretched left arm.

Tanaka screamed, as the bandages holding his arm together were slashed into pieces.

Kirigiri inhaled sharply. _"This is bad."_

Hinata looked up. "What's bad?"

"After getting wounded, he gets delusional… oh just look at him."

"Huahaha! Not bad, young one! But cased inside this prison of flesh is a sea of poison! HUAHAHAHA! PREPARE TO DIE, AND REVEL IN YOUR OWN STUPIDITY FOR DARING TO DEFY GUNDAM TANAKA!"

For a moment the room was silent, as Sonia in the distance belted out another line.

Slowly, Tanaka seemed to realize that his blood had little effect against Tenshi.

"Ku… To think that you have been cleansed with Holy water… A wise move! But I have bathed in the blood of Fafnir, and I am immortal! I have but one Achilles Heel, and it will take you years before you can even hope to-"

**STAB.**

"defeat me. I tamed the Devil's Pomerian, and his Chihuahua as well! In the vicissitudes of fate I-"

**STAB. STAB.**

"-gained companionship in the form of four heavenly gods of destruction! Now they reside within me, and they respect me, and fear me because I am-"

**SLASH. SLASH. STAB. STAB. SLASH.**

Tanaka toppled over, clutching his bleeding chest.

"I haven't the slightest clue what you are talking about." She said simply.

"_Shouldn't we-" _

"_Nope. He's a goner." _Kirigiri whispered back.

Tanaka attempted one more time to speak, but only managed to cough out blood.

"How unwise." Tenshi swung the blade one final time.

**BANG!**

A deafening gunshot rang across the hall as the blade shattered into pieces.

Kirigiri smiled.

"Took you long enough, Togami."

"It's only because you people are completely inadequate in taking care of yourselves."

Byakuya Togami emerged from the doorway, smelling faintly of smoke from the fired gunshot.

"The Smith and Wesson .500 Magnum, truly the king of kings of all pistols. In a normal environment, it would be overkill. However, we're not dealing with an ordinary enemy, aren't we?"

As if in retaliation, Tenshi yawned.

**BANG!**

This time, Tenshi avoided the Gunshot with her 'delay'.

"I could do this all day." Togami laughed.

"Unfortunately, Togami I believe the times almost up." Kirigiri said as she checked her watch.

"For what?" Hinata asked.

**GYMNASIUM:**

"Twinkle Twinkle Little star~"

_Now. _Oogami pressed the switch as she heard Sayaka sing the final verse.

As the crowd erupted into thunderous applause and cheering, the fans on each side began turning, and the students' meal tickets began fluttering out in the open. Like Confetti, coupons for Minestrone, Mapo Tofu, Lobster Paella and so many more flew out the open shutters of the Gym.

"Everyone, Thank you so much!" Maizono grinned!

_Yes. I can live on like this! I CAN DO IT!_

**Outside Entrance Hall:**

"Retreat! Mission complete!" Kirigiri breathed a sigh of relief.

"What do we do now?" Hinata asked.

"Help Tanaka up, and grab for the both of you a couple of meal tickets."

"Heh. What impunity. I don't need help from the likes of you worms." Tanaka wheezed as he shakily stood up. "For I, am TANAKA GUNDAM-" and promptly fell face flat.

As Hinata pulled Tanaka onto his shoulder, he grasped two tickets from the air and looked into its contents.

_Pumpkin Soup with Peanut cream and Candied Walnut._

_Beef Souvlaki and Tzatziki. Whatever that is. _

"Togami, what did you get?" Kirigiri asked.

"Spaghetti Vongole with clams and scallops." He shrugged as he examined his newly-caught meal ticket. "You?"

"Negi Ramen. Come on. Back to the cafeteria."

As they ran, Hinata sneaked one final look back. The figure of Tenshi grew steadily smaller. Unexpectedly, irrationally, he felt pity.

_Hey, she tried to kill you. _

_**You shot her first.**_

_She was coming close! I had no choice._

The two conflicting emotions argued all the way the rest of the journey beyond.

**CAFETERIA:**

Hinata had never seen anyone look so intimidating whilst eating Ramen, let alone Kirigiri.

Souda, Kuzuryuu, Hanamura, Oowada and Ishimaru (_EVEN YOU?!_) sat hunched across Kirigiri, trying to ignore their own hunger as they watched the others eat.

As Hinata chewed his beef souvlaki (Greek kebabs, it turned out), he smiled as Pekoyama sneaked a Burger onto Kuzuryuu's hands when Kirigiri wasn't looking. In the corner, Fujisaki was trying to keep warm her Pepperoni Pizza as she timidly attempted to approach Kirigiri's table.

"FUJISAKI NO FOOD MEANS NO FOOD." Kirigiri snarled.

"I understand." Still, she took the remains and shuffled back into the dormitory.

"So… this is the worst run of operation Tornado we ever had. Anything you have to say about that?"

Ishimaru: I'm deeply sorry and ashamed for committing such a felony, and I humbly plead for your forgiveness.

Oowada: Dude. Stop sucking up and give it to her straight. We'll accept the consequences.

Kuzuryuu (burger in mouth): _Shakes head_

Hanamura: It was Souda's idea?

Souda: I have no regrets!

Kirigiri finished her Ramen and started finishing the remains of her broth.

"Putting Hinata in danger when you ignored your duties is irresponsible and will not go unpunished. Not to mention, Tanaka is heavily injured." Kirigiri mused.

"Huahahaha. The great Tanaka Gundam will always recover." Tanaka was having great difficulty in drinking his soup.

"Let me help you, Tanaka-san." Sonia took the spoon from Tanaka, scooped some soup, gently blew and offered it to Tanaka. He thought in silence, then reluctantly opened his mouth and accepted the food.

Souda's heart began repeatedly tearing itself into two.

"I hereby dole out the following punishments. Ishimaru, you shall run 20 laps around the school and will not be allowed to eat, drink or sleep until you finish it."

Ishimaru bowed. "Will do!"

"Oowada, I'm confiscating your bike keys."

"NOOOOOOO!" Oowada wailed.

"Kuzuryuu, you shall- ARE YOU EATING WHEN IM TALKING TO YOU?!"

Kuzuryuu hurriedly swallowed. "No ma'am."

"For lying, eating, and disregarding your duties, you shall be made to finish this bottle of vodka by tomorrow morning, in true Gangster fashion." She took out a paper sack, where a liter bottle of Absolut stood.

"Kirigiri, you know I can't stand that stuff-" He stopped as Kirigiri gave him one of her evil eyes.

"Hanamura shall abstain from eating for the next day. And as for Souda, you shall-" Kirigiri stopped as Souda began sobbing uncontrollably.

She turned to where Souda was looking and smiled. "Ah, love." With that, she turned back to the dorms, clearly satisfied.

Hinata returned to his plate. The few days he'd been here proved to be the most wackiest and exciting he had ever experienced.

_These guys, they're not so bad I guess._

_But then again, I wonder if there is any meaning to all of this? _

He let his mind wander.

_Screw that. Let's focus on the beef. _

**5****th**** floor: Student Council Room.**

Tenshi sat in silence. As she chewed a stick of gum, her hands continued to fly across the screen, matching the notes together with perfect precision and synchrony with the music.

_Hinata Hajime. He's fitting in well. Good to know._

As the music finished, the words **MILLION MASTER **flashed across the screen of her tablet.

**CLAP. CLAP. CLAP.**

She spun around. A figure obscured in the dark corner of the room stared back at her.

"Not bad. You million mastered 'Freedom Dive'. Now if only life was a game you could conquer just as easily."

"Then it would be meaningless, wouldn't it?" She asked.

"Some argue that Life is indeed meaningless! Accept that reality, and we become happier in nature!"

Tenshi shook her head.

"I disagree."

"Yeah, thought you would. So what did you call me for?"

Tenshi tossed a student folder over.

"I'm thinking we can begin with her."

The figure stayed silent whilst reading.

"Do I have permission to proceed?"

…

"Go ahead. Someone has to be the first, I guess."

The figure stood up and straightened his jacket, and laughed.

"I look forward to attending Sayaka Maizono's final performance." With that the figure exited the room.

**HEY GUYS! TO THE PEOPLE WHO'S BEEN KIND ENOUGH TO READ THIS FANFIC, THANKS A LOT! THINGS HAVE BEEN PRETTY CRAZY WITH CHINESE NEW YEAR AND ALL THAT JAZZ.**

**ANYWAY, FOR FURTHER UPDATES, PLEASE FOLLOW THIS STORY! ANY REVIEWS WOULD BE MUCH APPRECIATED!**

**NEXT ARC: GUILD DESCENSION!**


	8. OPERATION PARACHUTE

_Humans are irrational creatures. _

_They differentiate themselves from animals by having the capability to utilize rational thought. That is what makes us human!_

_Then why do people do irrational things?_

_As I survey the state of the world around me, I weep. Why would anyone cause such destruction upon himself? Why do they turn their back from the light?_

_**BECAUSE THEY ARE HUMAN.**_

_Over the course of my journey I concluded the following:_

_We can make rational decisions._

_We can make irrational decisions._

_We pride on having the capability to be rational._

_Yet clouded by wrath, lust, envy, pride, love, faith, dreams and the infernal ever-changing stupid idea that is __'__justice__'__, we choose to be irrational._

_That, you ignorant lot, is irrationality at its finest._

**Hotel Zetsubou 8am**

_Ding Dong Ding Dong_

"This announcement goes out to all Hope's Peak Academy students. Good morning everyone. Let's seize this magnificent day!" A gender neutral voice rang.

As Hinata looked for the source of the sound, he finally picked up on the miniature TV hanging on his left. The emblem of Hope's Peak Academy flashed in the background.

_Right. Bathroom break._

As Hinata showered, he thoroughly examined his body for traces of yesterday's gunfight. Of course, there wasn't anything left, not even a pink tinge on the hand that fired the overheated gun.

_To be honest, dying isn__'__t really that bad. _Hinata thought.

_Yosh. It__'__s a brand new day!_

Filled with rigor and confidence of his future, Hinata stepped out into the unknown.

_**SPLUT.**_

Of course, Hinata never realized that the unknown smelt like a mixture of partially digested cheeseburger and digestive juices, with a consistency of cream stew.

"WHO THE HELL VOMITED ON MY DOORSTEP?!" Hinata screamed.

"Oh, Hinata-kun. Good morning you bastard."

Kuzuryuu was a total disgrace. He obviously did not get much sleep at all the past night. Reeking of alcohol and vomit, he hiccupped as he put his arm around Hinata.

"Guess what. I FINISHED." He hiccuped.

"An entire bottle of Absolut?!"

"Well it certainly isn't SKYY or Grey Goose."

Hinata tried his best to turn away from the stench.

"Frankly I'm surprised you didn't have liver failure."

"Of course! I'm 100% healthy. No liver failure, heart failure, brain failure in this baby. Yessiree I'm one hundred percent-" He paused his nonsense as if thinking.

"What's wrong?" Hinata inquired.

"Do you think she likes me? Pekoyama-san I mean."

_Well that__'__s certainly abrupt._

"At the very least, she cares about you, I guess." Hinata managed.

"Thing is, chicks like her never understand guys. ESPECIALLY HER. ESPECIALLY ME! She's got this totally wrong misconception of who she is to me." Kuzuryuu ejaculated.

"What? She thinks you hate her or something?"

Kuzuryuu bowed and remained silent.

"Oh… Uh, I'm sorry if I raised a sensitive question."

"It's not that. It's just…"

"Just what?"

"I think the rest of yesterday's dinner is going to make a reappearance." He gagged.

_Oh God no._

"DON'T YOU DARE-"

**Principal****'****s Office**

"Something stinks in here." Togami sniffed from a corner of the room.

"Ku… This foul miasma taints the very soul! What an abomination!"

"Enough people. Let's focus on today's assignments." Kirigiri interjected.

After breakfast, the entire battlefront gathered in the principal's office. Of course, after the mishap outside Hinata's doorstep, the majority avoided staying close to Kuzuryuu and Hinata as they sat in the corner.

"Now. Yesterday's operations will be reviewed again and again in the future, such that we never make the same mistake again. Is that clear, you five?"

"VERY!"

"Good. Other announcements, with the latest stock check from Souda, we're running low on ammunition. So today, we shall commence Operation Parachute."

_Operation Parachute?_

"Uhh… Question. Parachute as in?"

"We descend underground to the guild, where a subdivision of our battlefront creates weapons. Souda acts as the sub-leader of the group." She extracted a slip of paper from the fax machine.

"Also, weapons have been created and modified for the following people. This just in from the guild: Tanaka has a skeleton hammer inputted to his Beretta 92F Custom."

"Huahahaha. No one's speed can match mine now, as I orchestrate your requiem at an even faster tempo!"

"Pekoyama's swords have been sharpened."

Pekoyama nodded her approval.

"Grenades and other incendiary devices for Kuwata-kun."

"Don't forget the tear gas canisters!"

"Mondo's Pancor Jackhammer has finally been finished."

"Sweet."

"More ammunition for Ishimaru's Walther PPK, Togami's Smith and Wesson, Souda's MP5 and side note: Kuzuryuu's AK-47 has been modified to operate as the Chinese Variant: fully automatic."

"HELL YES!" Kuzuryuu pumped his fists in approval.

"More rockets for Nidai's Panzerschreck, fuel for Hanamura's flamethrower, and lastly, Yamada's M134 minigun has been modified for a lower rate of overheating."

"Now this is going to be awe-inspiring!" Yamada drooled.

"Right. So the rest of the girls will do as they please in the entire duration of this operation. Just don't create too much of a ruckus."

"Will do." Koizumi replied.

"Right then. Any questions? No? Then we'll proceed to the trash room immediately."

… _TRASH ROOM?_

**Dormitories: Trash Room**

As the shutters opened, the group stretched thoroughly.

"Why the warm-up?" Hinata asked.

"Because it's a long way down. Being prepared for impact is the best way." Kuwata replied.

Hinata paled.

"You mean, we're jumping down?"

"You don't say? A 14-floor high ladder takes far too long."

"14 floors?!"

"Relax. There should be enough cushioning for impact. And if not, well at least we'll come back to life again."

_Yeah. VERY reassuring._

Kirigiri took out a metallic key and opened the trapdoor in the middle of the room.

"Right. Ready when you are."

"Not to worry, Hinata-kun. You'll get used to it in no time!" Ishimaru briskly lowered himself onto the ladder. "But to be safe, assume the cannon-ball position as you fall. And don't land on your head."

He then jumped straight down.

One by one, the guys jumped straight down, some like Yamada screaming all the way, whilst some like Pekoyama remained silent for the entire duration of the fall.

Soon, the only people left were Kirigiri and Hinata.

"You know, it really isn't that dangerous."

"Yeah. That helps."

Hinata slowly lowered himself onto the rungs of the ladder. Sweat accumulated in his palms almost immediately, as adrenaline pumped inside his veins.

_Here goes nothing._

Taking a deep breath, he flung himself towards the abyss.

_I am alive._

_I forget about the fears of death as I hurtle towards the ground. The wind, so intense, slashes against my cheeks. _

_I am alive._

_I pick up speed and a shout of exhilaration escapes my chest. Every bone, every vein, every gram of blood was charged with electricity as the ground rushes towards me._

_I AM ALIVE!_

_For a moment I dream of flying, before hurriedly bracing myself for impact._

CRASH.

Hinata landed hard on a large landscape of old mattresses. Around him, people helped him up as he struggled to regain his senses.

_I have got to do that again sometime!_

With a thud, Kirigiri landed beside him.

"Ok. Everyone's here, lets proceed." Once again, she took the same key and inserted it into the wooden door at the front. With a pneumatic hiss, it opened, revealing a void of darkness.

"Is it always that dark?"

"There are some illuminated passageways, but to avoid detection we let most passages stay unlit. Come on then." She extracted a flashlight from her jacket and ventured inside, and the others followed suit.

**BASEMENT 1**

The tunnel seemed to go on forever, as the darkness showed no signs of relenting in its battle against the light.

"That should be the end of this floor soon." Kirigiri called.

**THUD.**

Everyone suddenly froze as the sound of something rumbling behind them grew exponentially louder. The walls began shaking with dust.

"C-Could it be?!" Ishimaru stammered.

"Yep. RUN! RUN FOR IT!" Kirigiri ordered.

The group sprinted at breakneck speed.

"If you don't mind me asking, what exactly are we running from-"

"SAVE YOUR BREATH AND JUST RUN! 20 METRES AHEAD GUYS!"

As the tunnel turned to the right, Hinata began to have stitches in his abdomen. He wasn't the only one as well. Yamada seemed to be losing speed at an increasing rate.

"Yamada you've gotta catch up!"

"I can't-I can't-" Yamada gasped in between breaths.

"Exit right ahead! SHARP TURN TO THE RIGHT PEOPLE!"

The light was becoming increasingly stronger now. One by one, they sped into the doorway, away from the reach of the main tunnel. Hinata collapsed as soon as he reached the safe point.

_What is it that we're running against?!_

_"_SOMEBODY HELP MEEE!" Yamada screamed in the back.

There was a sickening crunch, and a huge boulder rolled past the entrance.

"What the hell is wrong with this place?!"

"Isn't it obvious?" Togami adjusted his glasses. "The guild has reactivated the traps."

_Traps?_

"That means Tenshi is now ahead of us, and is on her way down to the guild." Souda paled.

"But this is a huge problem! None of us have bothered to bring our guns!" Hanamura combed his hair.

"Then we'll just have to reach there before she does." Kirigiri patted her skirt free of dust. "We can't stop here, come on."

**Basement 2:**

"Ishimaru, what was the next trap?"

"I believe it's the either the laser trap or the flooded room."

Pekoyama took a precursory glance into the next room, and nodded to Kirigiri.

"Clear."

The group quickly milled into the room, and the door quickly shut behind them. An infra-red light began to flicker in the room.

"That cannot be a good sign." Kuzuryuu spat.

It wasn't. The brick ceiling began coming down.

"MY BAD! IT WAS THE 'TEMPLE OF DOOM'." Ishimaru corrected himself.

"SO HOW DO WE PROCEED?!" Hinata said as he assumed a crouching position.

"UNLOCKING THE TRAPDOOR! It'll take 10 seconds!" Kirigiri frantically brought the keys out.

"We're not going to have 10 seconds!" Oowada warned, as the ceiling began scrunching his hair.

Suddenly, it stopped. As Hinata looked for the cause of the pause, Nidai groaned in effort as he held the ceiling in place.

"N-Nidai!" Souda gasped.

"LEAVE ME! GO NOW!" He gasped.

Kirigiri bit her lip.

"You heard him. Let's go!"

One by one, they descended once more deeper into the abyss. As the trapdoor slammed shut, they heard the rumbling begin anew, and stop again.

"So Atlas has finally crumbled as he bears the weight of the skies. Truly despair-worthy." Tanaka mused.

"He'll be back up in no time. Let's move."

**SONIA'S ROOM**

"This tea is really delicious."

"Of course, Celestia. It's Fortnum and Mason's classic Earl Grey."

The girls had assembled in Sonia's dormitory, where she served them tea and scones.

"Right then. So what shall we talk about today?" Maizono asked.

"Well, we discussed boys last time. I don't want to do something as boring as that again." Koizumi sipped.

"Ah... You know, I'm just curious, but, how much do you guys remember about your past lives?" Fujisaki asked.

The room became silent as the message sunk in.

"Uh... That's a bit of a sensitive subject around here, but if there's anyone who's willing to share..."

"What does it matter? We're dead anyway." Saionji was blowing onto her tea, crumbs of her half-finished scone still lingering on the edges of her lips.

"I guess that's right." Celestia mused. "Alright! Let's start with Asahina-San. Anything juicy to share?"

"Well, It's really not that interesting, per se." She grinned. "When I was young and I saw the Olympics, I always enjoyed watching the water sports. Diving, swimming, breaststroke, freestyle, synchronized and non-synchronized, relay! The freedom and rush of the divers as they jump, the wiring of the brain to survive in water, it was magical. That's when I decided I will become a swimmer when I grow up! Hence I started swimming at the local swimming complex."

"So you swam. Doesn't sound very rewarding." Saionji remarked.

"Oh it was!" Asahina assured her dreamily. "My three meals were a feast during my 5 hour training everyday! For breakfast, a bowl of cereal, 3 fried eggs, 5 power bars, 6 pancakes, and 2 cups of chocolate milk! For lunch, two bowls of tonkotsu ramen, with extra butter and pork fat, 8 baked potatoes and 10 packets of energy gel! Dinner was a pound of pasta, fried with bacon and garlic, watermelon and 7 more packets of energy gel!"

"Th-that's approximately 10000 calories a day." Tsumiki wondered aloud.

"How are you not fat after all that food?" Sonia asked.

_Mumble mumble._

"What was that, Saionji?"

"All the nutrition goes to her breasts." Saionji articulated.

"Now wait just a minute!" Asahina blushed. "You need all the carbs you can get in Cardio! I eat, therefore I am!"

"Go on, Asahina. And then?" Oogami ventured.

"Then the hard work paid off, I guess. After a few national competitions, I was the youngest swimmer to win 5 tournaments!

The girls congratulated her.

"And that's all I remember. I guess I can't truly move on until I remember how I died, right?"

"Perhaps you fell off the wrong side of a diving board." Celestia offered.

"Or maybe poisoned from too much chlorine in the pool." Koizumi mused.

"Or probably a heart attack." Saionji smirked.

"MOVING ON. Maizono-San, anything to share?" Sonia asked as she refilled her teacup.

"Oh, where to begin!" She smiled. "Well, my dad wasn't exactly the best of the lot. He had work and barely took care of me."

"You and I both, sister." Koizumi clapped her approval.

"I had few friends in primary school, and even among the ones that acknowledged me I always seemed to be the one that had no say among the group. But it was alright. I had the TV."

"TV?" Tsumiki frowned. "What about it?"

"One day, I stumbled onto the world of idols. I was lonely, but the idols were my friends. They could sing and dance so well." She said dreamily.

"And their smiles. Best of all, their smiles. When I looked at their smiles, my loneliness was forgotten in the blink of an eye. That's why I always wanted to become an idol like them. Someone who can give other people strength."

"... That's a beautiful dream." Tsumiki declared.

"Yeah. But nobody said it was going to be easy. But at the time I was willing to do it. I was willing to take the risk and do bad things to achieve my goals." She faltered.

"What things?" Saionji asked.

Uncomfortable silence followed.

"That bad, huh." Celestia said unsympathetically. "Well the idol industry was rocked by scandals of the sort quite often, and these things aren't really unheard of. But I guess," Celestia looked Sayaka square in the eye. "You were young and innocent then." She smiled ruefully as she took another drink.

"You really can be an ass sometimes, Celestia." Koizumi said bluntly.

"It's alright, Koizumi. It's all past history now." Sayaka sighed, then continued:

"It was fun, I guess. Everyday you've got to give it your all, otherwise the fans will find someone else. Someone who's better. And by then you'll be forgotten. A has-been, a nobody. And once you're an idol, the image sticks with you for life. Nobody will want you at any other job. You be an idol, then you stick to it for life."

"So how did you get through such a life?" Sonia asked.

"My friends. My rivals. My partners. We motivated each other, encouraged each other, you could say that the only reason I didn't give up immediately was because of my friends."

"Forgive me, but I believe friendship becomes cheap once you gain fame. It rarely means a thing." Celestia set down her teacup. "All you want, all they want, is your fame. Your wealth. Your connections."

"Celestia..." Oogami said warningly. But Celestia continued to a dumbstruck Maizono.

"So long story short You just want to exist. To feel loved." She mused. "Yet to do so, you made a Faustian bargain with society to give you a nice idol personality that everyone 'envies' and 'loves' without being sure of the price. First you did god-knows-what, then the press ensures nothing is private anymore, and you live in the nagging fear that the scandal will be revealed. Then, you work hard for society to accept you. Funny, isn't it? You want to help people like yourself, but society is eager to reject you at every corner. You chose to live a lie of a life, and this is the price you paid. And there's no opportunity for a refund. That really is what I call a bad joke-"

**SMACK!**

There was a collective intake of breath. Maizono lowered her hand, her face etched with anger, but to a smaller extent, fear. Celestia felt her stinging cheek, and for a moment she seemed to think of retaliating, before finally composing herself.

"What was that for, may I ask?"

"WHAT DID YOU THINK?!" Sayaka screamed.

"Then please correct me. What part of what I said was wrong?"

"That's... That's..." Lost for words, she ran out of the room.

For a moment, nobody spoke.

"Why did you just do that?" Oogami snarled.

"Facing the truth is an essential step in progress." She calmly took out a pocket mirror and examined her face.

"Apologize to Maizono-San." Koizumi ordered.

"Why? What did I do wrong? Or has giving people a cold splash of reality become frowned upon in a place honoring the truth?" She got up as she spoke.

"This girl could have endured it. She could have gradually gained her existence. She could have learned how to lie, how to be brave, how to take risks and befriend someone. But no. She chose the more impractical route, and look how she turned out."

"She didn't give up, though! She stuck to her dream!" Fujisaki desperately tried to salvage the situation.

"Her dream was a lie. What she wanted was simple. Her answer was long-winded, detailed, and wrong on all counts. She knows it. She's lying to herself, _'Oh My life wasn't that bad. At least I was an idol_... When she never saw the desire to be one in the first place." She smiled. "She might be even better at me in lying to herself."

"You don't feel sorry for her?"

"No. All I can do is bemoan her naïveté. She lacks will, that one. She would have been given more respect if her dream was to be an idol from the start, or she possessed the courage to quit." Celestia paused in thought, her hands at the door.

"However, I will not deny society may have ruled out that option. That is why we are fighting now."

"Then why did you say those awful things?" Asahina asked.

Celestia coldly turned.

"You can't fight blind."


	9. Kamukura

**Basement 4: **

Morale had dropped to an all-time low amongst the battlefront members.

After watching Yamada getting crushed by a huge boulder, Nidai collapsing under the stress of the falling ceiling, Hanamura stepping on a stray mine on the minefield, and Mondo getting electrocuted by dangling live wires, they were less than happy about the current state of affairs.

Which, of course, puts Ishimaru in a very precarious situation.

"Ishimaru, I'm not sure what's the point of asking you this, but I'll ask anyway. What's the next trap?" Kirigiri glared.

"Uh…Uh… AH YES! It should be the 'Million Fungoes'." Ishimaru nervously pointed out.

"What?"

"Oh, its basically where a pitching machine fires a million baseballs at high speed towards you. Not very painful until you start getting hit repeatedly." Kuwata elaborated. "Then you start getting bruises, blood vessels rupture, ribs break, yeah. It's not very nice."

… _Which sick, sorry mind came up with something like that?_

"I think, with what the previous few incidents have shown, I would take your guess with a grain of salt."

"Hm… The pretentious one has made his argument known. Tanaka GUNDAM CONCURS."

"REGARDLESS," Kirigiri finally interjected, "We need to push forward. We cannot let Tenshi beat us to the Guild."

**Basement 5:**

"Pekoyama, what do you see?"

The group of survivors had huddled behind a large concrete wall, where a firing range the size of a football stadium stood.

"Yes. There are various targets here. And the pitching machines are on alert as well."

"Baseballs. Why does it have to be baseball, of all things?" Kuwata groaned.

"Right. You know the drill. On the count of three, we run and spread out. That ought to confuse the motion sensor technology implemented in the pitching machines."

"And if one of us gets struck down?" Hinata asked

"Ignore him or her and keep moving."

_Now that__'__s just cold._

Moments later, the group assembled in a straight line parallel to the stadium.

"Right, on the count of three, then. ONE, TWO, **THREE!****"**

And off they went. Seconds after they stepped onto the pitch, the pitching machines began firing baseballs at high speed.

"THIS TAKES BASEBALL PRACTICE TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL!" Kuwata gasped as he narrowly avoided a flyball speeding at 105 kilometers an hour.

As Hinata ran, several balls from the front began hurtling towards him. He reflexively rolled to the side, only to be hit square on the nose.

"Who the hell taught these things how to fire Curveballs?!" He said as blood streamed out of his nostrils.

"ME! IN RETROSPECT IT WASN'T A GOOD IDEA, BUT-"

"WHY IS IT ALL YOUR INVENTIONS ARE FOR THE SOLE PURPOSE OF MAKING PEOPLE DIE FASTER?!" Kuzuryuu screamed.

"50 yards left to touchdown!"

The fungoes were beginning to take their toll. As Hinata half-ran, half-ducked, bruises were already beginning to accumulate on Hinata's arms and ribs.

_Almost there, _He thought as he made a final dash towards the safe zone.

**THUNK.**

Hinata gasped in surprise and pain. A screwball had hit him straight at the back of his head.

_What__… __What was__…_

As blood started coagulating, a queer sense of dizziness overcame Hinata as he fell into the touchdown area. _I__'__m safe, _Hinata thought.

That was the last thing Hinata remembered before blacking out.

**DATA CONTROL ROOM: 4****th**** FLOOR**

_Tenshi should be down at the guild by now. _

The man known by his subordinates as Dias sitting behind the vast array of computers looked at the scene 9 floors below without emotion.

_Run, little rabbits. Run._

As he bit into his second bar of chocolate that day, he contented himself with looking at Kirigiri hastily sliding to avoid the crossfire between two pitching machines.

_You wish to rebel, you say? Start with saving yourselves._

"Looks like they're having fun. Who do you think's dropping out this time, Asena?"

The woman who silently entered the room impassively surveyed the chaos.

"Togami."

"Interesting hypothesis. Why?"

"The idiot removed his glasses to prevent it from being damaged. I mean, just look at him."

Sure enough, Togami had just got up from being struck by a fastball and proceeded to run in the completely opposite direction.

"Give me the situation, then."

"Sayaka Maizono rushed out in tears before calming herself in her room. Celestia's blunt analysis rendered my operation unnecessary."

_Hm. Same as always._

"If you don't mind me asking, are you sure about starting with her first?" Asena hesitated.

The man remained silent as he looked at the monitor on his right. Sayaka was huddled in a corner, her usually happy demeanor having vanished.

"… Giving her back her full set of memories is a risk. I understand that. But it's necessary to ensure something like _those incidents_ never happens again."

"But she would remember that-"

"ENOUGH!" His voice had a sense of finality to it that even Asena didn't dare to question. "My decision is final. Leave me."

As Asena proceeded out of the room, she turned towards the back of Dias.

"You've changed, Dias."

"Change is the only constant. Don't be so surprised." He shot back.

…

The door gently closed shut.

Unfazed, the man returned to the screen, where Togami was being painfully pelted from 4 pitching machines at the same time.

**Unknown Location**

Asphyxiated, Hinata awoke.

He blinked hard in pain. It was as if his lungs and gullet was stuffed with cotton wool, and every breath he took was torture.

_What is this place?_

The place he was in resembled a library, yet it was a macabre and dark as a crypt. Aged vellum scrolls were neatly arranged in deoxygenated capsules over a thick layer of dust. The air was damp, and he was able to detect a faint odor of formaldehyde. To his right, shelves were filled with dog-eared books, and a closer inspection would bring to light a 15th century Gutenberg Bible and an aged tome of the Torah.

_"_Kirigiri-San?" He croaked. As expected, there was no response.

The eerie atmosphere of the room was quickly getting to Hinata. The place radiated a sense of despair, and fear quickly permeated into his blood.

_I've got to find the exit._

His head still smarting from the injury the fastball inflicted, he cautiously searched the area for a way out, but the library seemed to stretch out to the ends of the earth.

He plopped down on a plush dusty armchair in exhaustion.

_Brilliant. Really brilliant._

Hinata thought hard. _If I was at the pitch just now, and I'm awake and alone in this godforsaken area, I'm not awake. This is a dream._ He tried pinching himself hard, but nothing happened.

It was then he heard them.

_Whispering?_

_Rasping, speech in slurs, I hear them. I look around for the source, and prose is emanating from my right._

_It's calling me._

_As if directed by the voice of another, I turn and sort out through the dossiers on the shelf, until I find you, my shock in full display._

_**Hinata Hajime: 1994-2015**_

_My name?!_

_I can make out faint screams coming from the folder. The mercurial texture of sweat is palpable in my mouth. _

_Someone documented a folder of me?_

_I hesitate, as the muffled screaming goes louder by the second. There's no telling what consequences opening this folder would bring. Still, curiosity gets the better of me, and I relented._

_I carefully undo the strings and extract the contents inside. _

_**DARKNESS SUDDENLY ENGULFS ME. **_

_**THE BOOKSHELVES COLLAPSE AROUND ME, THE FIRES ARE QUENCHED BY THE VOID OF LIGHT. THE PAPERS FLY OUT OF MY HANDS, AND I FIND MYSELF GRASPING AT THIN AIR.**_

_**I'M BLIND.**_

_**I HEAR SCREAMING AS THE AIR GROWS THIN, BUT MY LUNGS HAVE LIBERATED THEMSELVES FROM THE TORTURE OF ASPHYXIA. AS I GASP IN VALIANT EFFORT TO RESPIRE, THE GROUND GIVES IN BENEATH MY FEET.**_

_**BUT I DO NOT FALL. I AM SUSPENDED IN THIS VOID, THIS BARREN LANDSCAPE OF EMPTY SPACE.**_

_**I CANNOT MOVE, MY MUSCLES FAIL ME. I CANNOT SEE, THE DARKNESS BLINDS ME. I CANNOT HEAR, I AM WELCOMED INTO THE CALIGINOSITY OF THE WORLD IN SILENCE.**_

_**My thoughts grow softer, losing impact and clarity. My breathing goes silent, the air robbed of its life. The darkness rears itself like a monstrous beast, ready to attack once more. **_

_**Then it morphs, and I sense you.**_

_**Darkness has a humanoid appearance. He flexes his fingers and straightens the veils of black that flows from its head.**_

_**"Alive again. Or am I dead, boy?"**_

_**The voice, musical yet tinged with disinterest is unnervingly close as it reverberates around me. **_

_**"You don't remember me? Oddly, I remember nothing as well. Capital. How marvelously capital." He chuckles, but the laughter is hollow. "But I will get bored of it soon, I predict."**_

_**I struggle against the bonds of darkness as it tightens. The figure slithered closer, and I feel his breath as it glides against my cheeks. **_

_**"Hinata Hajime," he spat "we shall meet again. Before I depart, a gift for you." The darkness becomes unbearable, and space crushes and crumbles around me.**_

_**"**_**My name is-"**

**Space shatters in the grips of the null. As my consciousness vanishes, his name echoes in my mind.**

KAMUKURA IZURU KAMUKURA IZURU KAMUKURA IZURU KAMUKURA IZURU KAMUKURA IZURU KAMUKURA IZURU KAMUKURA IZURU KAMUKURA IZURU KAMUKURA IZURU KAMUKURA IZURU KAMUKURA IZURU KAMUKURA IZURU KAMUKURA IZURU KAMUKURA IZURU KAMUKURA IZURU KAMUKURA IZURU KAMUKURA IZURU KAMUKURA IZURU KAMUKURA IZURU KAMUKURA IZURU KAMUKURA IZURU KAMUKURA IZURU KAMUKURA IZURU KAMUKURA IZURU KAMUKURA IZURU KAMUKURA IZURU KAMUKURA IZURU KAMUKURA IZURU KAMUKURA IZURU KAMUKURA IZURU KAMUKURA IZURU KAMUKURA IZURU KAMUKURA IZURU KAMUKURA IZURU KAMUKURA IZURU KAMUKURA IZURU KAMUKURA IZURU KAMUKURA IZURU KAMUKURA IZURU KAMUKURA IZURU KAMUKURA IZURU KAMUKURA IZURU KAMUKURA IZURU KAMUKURA IZURU KAMUKURA IZURU KAMUKURA IZURU KAMUKURA IZURU KAMUKURA IZURU KAMUKURA IZURU KAMUKURA IZURU KAMUKURA IZURU KAMUKURA IZURU KAMUKURA IZURU KAMUKURA IZURU KAMUKURA IZURU KAMUKURA IZURU KAMUKURA IZURU KAMUKURA IZURU KAMUKURA IZURU KAMUKURA IZURU

IZURU, KAMUKURA?


	10. An 1812 Overture Firework Display

_KAMUKURA KAMUKURA KAMUKURA KAMUKURA__… __huh?_

"Oh. It seems he's come to."

"RIGHT! Kirigiri-san! Hinata's fit for duty!"

Hinata straightened up. The other 7 survivors, Ishimaru, Kuzuryuu, Kuwata, Pekoyama, Souda, Kirigiri, and Tanaka were assembled in a small cavern, where a small box of emergency supplies was bought out and shared.

"Took him long enough." Kuzuryuu complained as he applied a bandage to his kneecap.

"Wait wait wait slow down…" Hinata struggled to regain his senses. "What exactly happened to me just now?"

"A baseball rocketed towards you and you got struck smack dab in the medulla." Kirigiri informed him. "That's the lower half of your brainstem which controls your involuntary functions, such as breathing, heart rate and so on."

"How long was I out?" Hinata groaned as he plucked a saltine cracker from the kit.

"7-10 minutes."

_10 minutes? _Hinata frowned. _I must have spent at least an hour in that godforsaken place__… __Or was that a dream?_

"Kukuku… What's laughable is that the pretentious one was the one who lost his life being stoned." Tanaka applied more gauze to his already heavily bandaged arm.

"He asked for it. What was he thinking, taking off his glasses?" Souda laughed.

"Right, that's it then." Kirigiri returned the water bottle to the kit. "Let's keep moving. Ishimaru, give me an idea of the next trap."

"Considering our circumstances, it should be the mustard gas." Ishimaru thought hard.

"Then where are the gas masks allocated?"

Ishimaru started searching the cavern. He gently tapped the walls, until he finally heard an area that was hollow. Sighing in relief, he unhinged a side of the small area to reveal a small storage safe.

"Found it."

"Good. Once you get the masks on get going downstairs." Kirigiri straightened her gloves.

**Basement 5:**

The gas masks turned out to be completely useless as the floorboards crumbled underneath their feet.

"AHHH! FORGIVE ME IT WAS THE 'ELEVATOR TO HELL'!" Ishimaru screamed as he fell face-first into the shaft.

The rest of the battlefront members were in a precarious situation. Pekoyama being the only one on safe ground, the others were hanging on to each other's legs for dear life.

"DAMN YOU ISHIMARU!"

"Ouch! Kuzuryuu your nails hurt!"

"It's not first class treatment down here either, Souda! When was the last time you washed your socks?"

"WILL ALL OF YOU KEEP SILENT?!" Kirigiri hollered. "Who's at the bottom?"

"Me!"

"Right. Hinata you go up first, then Kuwata, then me, then-" She looked up "Kuzuryuu, Souda and Tanaka. Got that?!"

Hinata began his ascent. He slowly made his way grasping Kuwata's trouser pockets and managed to get his legs wrapped around his waist.

It was then he looked directly upwards and turned beet red.

"What's taking you?" Kirigiri muttered.

"Uh… Where do I hold you?" Hinata stammered, turning away from the underside of Kirigiri's skirt.

"Where do you think?!"

… _This woman. _Taking a deep breath, he forged onwards, and took hold of her thighs. Hurriedly, he pulled himself up towards her arms and hung face to face with Kirigiri.

"W-Why are you facing this way?"

Behind her poker face, Kirigiri blushed.

"It's not like I had a choice! Get on with it!"

Shrugging, he proceeded with Kuzuryuu and had his left foot firmly planted on his head when it happened.

"WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GROPING?!"

There was a sharp yelp of pain as the dangling human centipede suddenly swung to the right. Hinata hastily readjusted his centre of gravity by positioning his torso forward, then looked down and examined the commotion.

"Bad news guys: Kuwata fell." Kirigiri nonchalantly called.

"YOU KICKED HIM IN THE NUTS!"

"Shut it, Kuzuryuu!"

"Will you mortals cease the oscillations?!" Tanaka gasped.

Lifting his foot from Kuzuryuu, Hinata grasped the neckline of Souda's jumpsuit and held onto Tanaka's dangling scarf.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Tanaka choked. "CHAM-P! ATTACK!"

Hinata hastily removed his hand from the scarf, but it was too late. A fat orange hamster suddenly flew from Tanaka's neckline and bit into the back of his hand.

_SON OF A B-_

As the hand began bleeding, the golden hamster latched onto Hinata's forefinger and began dexterously chewing the skin beneath his nail.

"TANAKA CALL IT OFF DAMN IT!"

"What's going on up there?"

"Hinata's hand is getting a makeover a lá Gumdam."

"NOT FUNNY SOUDA!"

"Retreat, Cham-P! And repent on your foolishness in your pitiful attempt to rob me of my life."

The chewing stopped, and Cham-P detached itself from Hinata's hand and clambered back onto Tanaka's dangling scarf.

**Several minutes later**, the 6 remaining survivors slumped in an exhausted heap on safe ground.

"Tanaka that attack was unwarranted." Hinata complained.

"SILENCE. Whilst your dauntlessness in your attempt to catalyze my annihilation is commendable and will not go unnoticed, to do it at a time where I am preoccupied is dishonorable and a faux pas." Tanaka huffed.

"Regardless, I'm surprised Hinata's made it this far in his first try." Pekoyama mused.

"Not to mention the fact Togami got knocked out before him." Souda snickered. "Oh how the mighty have fallen."

"We gotta move, people. Hopefully that would be the last trap."

**Basement 6:**

"Yeah. That should be it." Pekoyama confirmed.

The cavern was softly illuminated by cracks on the rock ceiling, where light shone through in small rays. In front of them was a lake where water was constantly flowing into a large waterfall to their left.

_Finally an end to all of this nonsense._

**BARK BARK BARK!**

The six turned at the sound of the noise. Floating in the river was a cardboard box, and a small dog was barking frantically as it progressed nearer and nearer towards the waterfall.

Without warning, Tanaka entrusted his 4 hamsters to Pekoyama and rushed towards the lake.

"OI! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

"AN ANIMAL IS IN PERIL! I CANNOT LET SUCH A TRAVESTY TO OCCUR!" Tanaka yelled back.

Open-mouthed in wonder, the 5 watched as Tanaka gracefully glided onto the water surface and pirouetted in mid-air, gently snatching the box and tripping back-first into the lake.

Spluttering and dripping wet, it was then that he noticed the metal key lodged in the dog's back.

"WHAT AN OVERSIGHT! IT WAS A CONTRAPTION!" Tanaka wailed as he was carried away towards the waterfall.

… _This_ _guy._

"What was he thinking?" Hinata wondered.

"He's an animal breeder. Despite all that talk about being a fallen angel summoned by the illuminati, he finds animals much more innocent and likable than humans as a whole." Kirigiri explained.

"It's just a little bit further."

The group ran to the end of the hall, where the rock-solid floor gradually morphed into steel.

Even before they reached the trapdoor, they could already hear the sounds of metal being bent into shape, the loud laughs and grunts of the workers and the roaring of the furnaces for fuel.

Kirigiri took out the master key and opened the trap door. A blast of steam immediately enveloped the 5 as the smell of sulfur, charcoal and oil arrested their senses.

"Another ladder. Can we jump?"

"Nope. This one we need to go down step by step."

_Fantastic._

The group slowly made their way down, and as the temperature and humidity steadily rose, Hinata sneaked a look downwards.

_...Woah._

**BASEMENT 7: GUILD**

The Guild resembled a large workshop, where soot-clad workers in grey jumpsuits worked away at the furnaces and the production lines. Giant cogs moved load after load of supplies from one end to the other. The ovens were crudely constructed out of crevices in the rock wall, and the fires burned a deep orange inside. The ladder they were going down on was connected to a large water tower, and inside he could hear rumbling of the boil. Upon noticing the new arrivals, a worker excitedly pointed up.

"OH! LOOK AT THAT! GUYS THEY'RE HERE!"

The 30-strong team of workers halted what they were doing and joined in the clamor to the ladder.

"GUYS! I MISSED YOU SO MUCH!" Souda jumped down the last remaining rungs and flung himself towards a particularly dust-clad worker.

"Well, Souda, any luck with Sonia?" He teased.

"More than luck, my friend. Our relationship is progressing unbelievably well!" Souda bragged.

Somewhere behind Hinata, Kuzuryuu pretended to stick his finger in his gullet in disgust.

"Workers, where's Tenshi?" Kirigiri interrupted.

"She entered through the back storage room, and we're trying our best to stall her now."

"Wait. Then that means all the other traps were completely unnecessary!" Hinata complained.

"Hahaha, sadly we only have one on/off switch for all our 20 traps!" The worker with brown hair informed him.

"Tenshi has discovered the Guild. That's the primary problem." Kirigiri thought aloud. "We need to consider what we do from now on."

"What do you think we're gonna do?" Souda countered. "We just take our new weapons and turn her into Swiss Cheese!"

"But she could always come again. And we cannot waste our manpower to continually guard this location." Hinata pointed out.

"No choice then. We've got to destroy the Guild."

The room went silent. The workers were staring at Kirigiri as if she suggested castrations for everyone.

"ARE YOU MAD?!" A worker at the back voiced out.

"We can't be destroyed! I love this place!"

"Kiriri-san, maybe that might not be the best idea! What about our weapons, our glory, our pride, our weapons?" Souda asked.

"The only acceptable option is to destroy this place and rebuild the guild in another location." Kirigiri snapped her fingers in realization. "The old guild. Move to the old guild."

_Old Guild?_

"Question. What's that?"

"A while ago, when the Guild decided they needed more space, they abandoned their original location much deeper below, and moved closer to the surface where the softer rock proved easier for expansion." Kirigiri explained.

"Exactly! But there's so much work we're abandoning!" A burly worker said.

"It'll be alright!" Kirigiri commanded. "Don't we still have our knowledge? As long as we have a working knowledge of the Guild and its processes, we can always rebuild ourselves!"

She stepped forward for greater effect.

"Comrades in arms, we are humans, are we not?!" She yelled.

"We are weak! That is undeniable! However, we are also resilient! With knowledge, with resource, with power, we will always have the chance and opportunity to continue to fight!"

The crowd roared in approval.

Slowly, yet surely, Hinata began to feel a grudging respect for Kirigiri.

_Her leadership is strong. Honest, blunt, and to the point, but that is also a good thing. The people whom she motivates will undoubtedly come out stronger._

"Right! Souda!" She instructed. "I leave you in charge of the demolition of the Guild. Is that clear?"

"YES MA'AM! ALRIGHT YOU HEARD THE LADY! BRING OUT THE TNT! BRING OUT THE C4! BRING OUT THE ANTIMATTER WE'VE COLLECTED FROM OUR LARGE HADRON COLLIDER! THIS PLACE IS GOING DOWN IN STYLE!"

Cheering, the guild set out to work.

Kirigiri cleared her throat, then turned back to the remaining 3.

"Rest of you, get down to the armory and lock and load. We're gonna buy some time."

"SWEET." Kuzuryuu whistled.

**STORAGE HALL:**

**Kuzuryuu**: I love my AK-47. Even more when its now Chinese.

**Hinata: **I still don't understand why I need to discard my 1911 Government for these.

**Kuzuryuu: **What are you talking about? Mac-11s are awesome. Lighter than the Mac-10, yet still delivers. Only drawback is the effective range's not as good in comparison.

**Kirigiri:** Right guys, she's coming. Masks on.

The 4 were assembled outside the doorway, readying their guns (in Pekoyama's case, swords) for the battle.

Removing the cap from the canister, Kirigiri quickly pressed the nozzle as gas began spraying in large bursts. Kicking the massive gates open, she flung it inside and expertly fired at the canister, causing tear gas to explode and fill the room all at once.

_She__'__s good._

"MOVE IN!"

Adjusting the straps on their masks, they stealthily entered the hall, which was already quickly blanketed by a big layer of tear gas. Tenshi, who was in the middle of the room, was progressing towards them seemingly unaffected.

_Rats._

**BANG!**

Kirigiri drew first blood as her Glock 30 fired a round lodged into Tenshi's stomach.

Even as blood dyed her jacket a deep crimson hue, the bullet already began forcing itself out.

"Guard skill: Distortion." Tenshi whispered.

"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! FIRE!"

The group, except for Pekoyama, began emptying their magazines towards her, but the bullets were merely dispelled inches in front of her.

"Hand Sonic." A thin blade materialized in the back of her hand, and she immediately rushed towards them.

Quick as a flash, Pekoyama unsheathed her katana on her back and parried Tenshi's attack. Adjusting her grip, Pekoyama quickly slashed at Tenshi, only to be countered by a quick stab of her blade.

The two exchanged blows, metal grinding against metal, and as the tear gas finally began to dissipate, the two found themselves as a standstill as both began forcing each other down with their blade.

Pekoyama seemed to be getting the upper hand, she was successfully being forced back inch by inch.

"Overdrive."

**THUNK.**

The group gasped. Tenshi had forcefully kicked the gap between Pekoyama's legs with the tip of her pink shoes.

"Holy crap." Hinata gaped.

"That has got to hurt." Kuzuryuu winced.

"That's it. She's down for the count." Kirigiri muttered.

She was. Seconds later, Pekoyama collapsed, moaning and clutching her abdomen in pain. Tenshi gave her a gentle prod with her toes, and them redirected her gaze towards the remaining three.

"You're next." She pointed.

**RATATATATATAT.**

Hinata's akimbo Mac-11s sputtered out 32 excellent arguments, only to be refuted by Tenshi's hastily reactivated Distortion.

_Oh dear._

Hinata desperately inserted another magazine, but it was too late: as the blades reappeared once more, Tenshi began speeding towards him with her blade brandishing menacingly in front of her.

_Well that's it then. I'm dead._

As Hinata braced himself for the impending pain, a curious sensation mantled him as time seemed to freeze.

_**Honestly. Do I have to spell everything out for you?**_

Hinata reeled in shock. _That voice again. _He looked around, but in the frozen time, there was no stranger to be distinguished, let alone the man shrouded in darkness.

_**Looks like I've regained some control, and right during a precarious situation. How boring.**_

_Right. Right. So what do you propose to do about it? _Hinata thought.

_**You're fighting this girl? This situation is so unbelievably ironic.**_

Time seemed to start flowing once more. Hinata was keenly aware of the blade that was inches away from slicing his neck. At the same time, he seemed less in tune with his body, and began to analyze the trajectory of the incoming blade.

_**First, target the ulna.**_

_The what!?_

_**The ulna, second segment of the arm, along with the radius. **_

**SNAP.**

Hinata lobbed his right knuckle towards Tenshi's outstretched right arm, and the blade halted in its movement.

_**Counter with left straight.**_

**BASH.**

Hinata managed to score a clean hit towards her face, and a Tenshi hastily pulled back.

_**Heel Kick to her auditory cortex.**_

_YOU NEED TO START SAYING THESE THINGS IN LAYMAN's TERMS. _Hinata thought.

_**KICK THE AREA OF HER HEAD ABOVE HER LEFT EAR.**_

Hinata crudely attempted a roundhouse kick, but Tenshi quickly responded with her own, and the resounding crash echoed throughout the room. Pulling her leg down, she lunged forward, blade at the ready.

_**Sidestep.**_

Dexterously, Hinata managed to avoid her tackle, and she readied herself for a quick stab.

_**Grapple the arm.**_

Tenshi gasped as Hinata grasped her right hand.

_**Dislocate.**_

Her hand still held in place, Hinata placed his right hand over her elbow and in a swift motion punched it inwards.

**SNAP.**

The effect was immediate. Tenshi cried out in pain as her left arm went limp.

"NOT HALF BAD, HINATA!" Kuzuryuu cheered.

As vicious pleasure coursed through Hinata, he was unaware that a pair of eyes were darting at him with uncertainty and suspicion.

Kirigiri stood unmoving, watching the fight unfold into Hinata's favor. _This is unheard of,_ she thought. _A rookie holding his own against Tenshi in a fist fight? _

_Perhaps this is his talent? _Kirigiri wondered. _No. He can't be. His kicks and attacks are while effective, crude and lack refinement._

_Hinata Hajime, I'll need to keep a close eye on you._

Tenshi stepped back, clutching her arm and drawing ragged breaths.

"HARMONIC-" She began.

"SORRY WE'RE LATE!" A group of people emerged from the doorway, led by an ecstatic Souda, wheeling in a huge cannon-like monstrosity.

"Kirigiri it's all systems go!" Souda confirmed. "But before that I want to give this little baby a spin!

"What exactly is that?" A slack-jawed Kuzuryuu asked.

"It took months, but I finally perfected it! THE RAIL GUN! THIS IS WHAT THE NAVY MIGHT HAVE HAD PLANTED ON THEIR SHIPS, if it wasn't for their unfortunate budget problem!" Souda drooled.

"Right then. Hinata, grab Pekoyama and take cover!" Kirigiri instructed.

Hinata nodded, and sprinted away, picking up a surprised Pekoyama in the process, leaving a surprised Tenshi on her own in the middle of the hall.

"30%, 50%, 70%, 90%, 100%!" A worker gave Souda the thumbs up as the rails finished charging up, the projectile in between getting ready to burst.

"WE HAVE IGNITION!" Souda exclaimed as he pressed a switch on the control panel.

**KABOOOOOOOM.**

The rail gun self destructed, creating a huge plume of fire to erupt and causing a massive dust cloud to flood the entire room.

"WHAT THE HELL-"

The explosion left Hinata's ears ringing, the smoke his eyes watering, and as he took a better look at the state of the wreckage, charred metal was all that was left of the beast.

"My bad, I must have done the wrong math-"

"I hate you, so much." Kirigiri muttered.

As shrapnel continued to rain towards the ground, Kirigiri hauled Souda upwards.

"Right, you've had your fun. Launch the switch."

"YOU SAID IT. COMRADES, I SALUTE YOU!" Souda took out a radio transmitter from his jumpsuit and pressed the fat orange button. At once, the rumbling of the furnaces stopped. The working of the gears went silent.

The intercom crackled with static, then a computerized voice spoke:

"This Guild is scheduled to self destruct in T-30 seconds. We wish you a pleasant day. Goodbye."

French horns began to play at a _pianissimo._

"Right Hinata time to move!"

Hinata started running, but stopped abruptly and looked back.

"Are we really gonna leave her here?" Hinata felt the same sensation of pity the day before.

"She'll be fine. Move it!"

Shrugging, Hinata left the wounded Tenshi to her own devices and helped Pekoyama up. Together, they ran out the gates of the Storage hall and bolted the door shut.

**25 seconds.**

Strings began to softly pull in response.

"Where do we exit?!" Pekoyama asked. The area was now completely deserted. Apparently the others had took the initiative to escape first.

Kirigiri slid open a compartment on the steel wall.

"Escape chute. It'll bring us another 5 stories down, which will lead to a passageway to the site of the old guild."

Hinata could hear the horns' _crescendo, _as his own heartbeat grew louder in response.

"Down I go, then." Kuzuryuu stuck his feet into the chute and disappeared down the fabric lined chute.

Pekoyama followed suit, then Kirigiri, which left Hinata and Souda.

"Souda, come on."

As Souda placed his two feet into the chute, he took a final look back at the workshop and sighed.

"I'm gonna miss this place."

"Yeah." Hinata consolingly patted him on the back. "NOW GET ON WITH IT!" and promptly pushed him down.

**T-10 seconds.**

Hinata hesitated.

_I'm leaving a wounded girl behind. _

As the countdown blared, Hinata made up his mind.

_I've come this far. _

Holding his breath, he let go, and slid back into the chute.

**BASEMENT 12**

Hinata dropped down into a foam mattress, where the others were watching the scene from the security feed on a television screen.

**5...**

"Hinata close the chute!"

**4...**

The orchestra grew increasingly louder.

**3...**

Hinata stood up and quickly slid the trapdoor shut.

**2... **

Hinata hurriedly joined the group.

**1...**

"Goodbye, Guild."

**0...**

Explosions reverberated throughout the ground. One by one, each table, each gear, each cog, each furnace burst into brilliant plumes of orange and yellow. The ceiling shook, and they could hear the tremors of the explosions from below.

"Who's idea was it to play the 1812 Overture?" Hinata wondered.

"Oh, THAT'S what it was called?" Souda's eyes gleamed. "I just chose it because it had cannons in it."

The television suddenly glowed a brilliant white.

"WOW. I'm guessing that's the microgram of antimatter we collected."

Kirigiri smiled contentedly.

"Mission complete, guys."

The group broke out into a cheer and exchanged high-5s with one another.

"Ok. Let's get the Old guild set up. We've got work to do!" Kirigiri commanded.

"YES MA'AM!" Souda rushed across the hallway to the Old guild.

As the happy ending progressed without a hitch, a nagging feeling tugged at Hinata's heartstrings.

_That voice. Who exactly are you, Kamukura Izuru? _

Hinata couldn't put his finger on it. The voice sounded vaguely familiar, yet he was certain he had never met the man before.

He looked to his right. Kirigiri was determinedly averting her gaze from him, and the slightest movement of her hair indicated she was watching him.

_She suspects?_

Hinata swallowed. From that moment onwards, he knew, he was walking into dangerous territory.

_I'm going to need to watch my step from now on._

**HOTEL ZETSUBOU: Dormitories**

Sayaka Maizono rinsed her face in the sink and checked every detail of her face.

_Good. There's no sign of me crying._

Taking her towel, she dropped back-first into the bed in frustration.

_I always wanted to be an idol on my own accord! It was always my dream!_

_DREAMS AND GOALS CAN CHANGE IF NECESSARY!_

_What part of it was my fault? _

Sayaka blinked hard. The argument with Celestia had made her speechless, and part of her consciousness agreed with her.

_I'm not weak. _

_I can't be weak! _

_I need to be strong for them, for everyone!_

**Knock knock knock.**

She looked up in surprise.

_Who is it at this hour?_

Warily, she opened the door. A masked figure stood at the doorway.

Instinctively she took a step back.

"What do you-" Before she managed to finish her sentence, the figure lunged and clutched her forehead.

She attempted to scream, but all at once a curious sensation overcame her senses.

As the world blacked out, the last thing she noticed were the startlingly gray eyes of her assailant.

Then it began.

_**"You could very well spend the rest of your life here in this academy."**_

_**I ACCEPT.**_

_**"I'M YOUR HEADMASTER!" DONT WORRY I'LL PROTECT YOU. **_

_**AFTER GRADUATION!**_

_**"Sorry for bothering you this late of night"**_

_**"MAIZONO, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" A man screams.**_

_Images I am unfamiliar with flood my mind. Information alien to me are rapidly assaulting my brain. As I survey the torrent of information, I feel it again. _

_Despair, and how it clutches like ice in my heart._

_**I AM MONOKUMA! YOUR HEADMASTER!**_

_**I DONT HAVE TIME FOR THIS! **_

_I watch myself lock the bathroom door, clutching my wounded hand. As the man breaks the door open, I scream and try fighting back and it happened._

_Accidentally, or on purpose, the knife lodges itself firmly in my abdomen. _

_Perhaps the man meant no harm. Perhaps it was revenge. Perhaps it was an act of despair. Regardless, as the man realized what an atrocity he had committed, he fled out of the room._

_**What the hell is this?**_

_I watch myself gasping for life. With each ragged breath she takes, she paints a number hidden behind her back. _

_**11037**_

_As I look at myself facing death, I feel something completely different. _

_Remorse._

_**"Naegi... I'm sorry..."**_

_**... Forgive me.**_

_The girl trembled before me, and remained still, a single tear adorning her cheek._

_As I struggle to comprehend what I just saw, the realization hits me like a bolt._

_**All of this is real.**_

_As my vision begins fading, my last thoughts echo repeatedly in my mind._

_And I see him. His face. Warm, trusting, and kind._

_**Forgive me**_

_**Forgive me**_

_**I'm sorry **_

_**Forgive me**_

_**.**_

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_**Naegi-kun?**_

**FADE TO BLACK.**

_HEY GUYS. THANKS FOR READING THUS FAR! I HAVE A TEST NEXT WEEK, SO IF THE NEXT CHAPTER GETS DELAYED, I APOLOGIZE IN ADVANCE._

_NEXT ARC: SAYAKA-END._


	11. Blanka balls, Anyone?

**STAFF BUILDING**

The man briskly navigated himself through the lavishly decorated hallways, ignoring the vandalized oil paintings that hung its walls. The air was heavy with the smell of potpourri, and he wrinkled his nose in disgust. Noticing a group of teachers passing by, he quickly dodged into a corner, opening his hood in the process.

_Pretentious bums._

Checking that the coast was clear, he resumed his steps and found himself in front of an ornately decorated wooden door.

_God, I hate this place._

Closing his eyes in resignation, he strode inside.

**STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING ROOM**

Tenshi looked up from her iPad at the new visitor.

"Dias." She nodded in acknowledgement, before returning to her paused game.

He marched across the heavily carpeted room, and sat beside her, showing an interest in the game she was playing.

"So this time it's _Codename Zero_?" Dias remarked, as the screeching of dubstep began.

"I find it much more challenging than _Freedom dive, _for some reason." She pouted as she lost her perfect streak on a sliding note.

Dias looked at her appraisingly.

"Maybe it's due to the fact that you're playing it on hard mode with only one hand?"

"No, it takes some time to Million master even with both hands."

Her right arm was limp, and disjointed in an odd direction, but she paid it no heed as she restarted the game.

Dias chewed his cheeks.

"Come here. Let's take a look at the arm." He went to the corner of the lavishly decorated room, and took out a medical kit from an oak drawer.

Giving up, Tenshi tossed the iPad towards an empty armchair and held out her arm for his inspection.

"Yeah. It's broken." Dias confirmed after a while. "Until we meet Trinity, I can't do much, but until then here's a sling." Gently, he helped her arm into the makeshift cast, and guided her shoulder through the string.

Tenshi remained deep in thought the entire time.

"What's troubling you?"

"The fact that Hinata-kun broke my arm."

_Oh... Damn._

"I understand, it's a heartbreaker, but you shouldn't-"

"How did he do that?" She pondered, seemingly ignoring his concern.

Dias paused. _True, that. The only people I've seen who are able to fight her and pose a threat is Nidai and Oogami. So how did he of all people manage it?_

"Does it hurt that much?" He kindly asked.

"Not particularly." She vaguely replied, absent-mindedly twirling a lock of hair.

The reverie was interrupted as a masked figure entered the room. She took off the mask and welcomely embraced the fresh air.

"Asena." The tone suggested subtle _displease _at the new visitor. "How was it?"

"I can safely confirm that Sayaka Maizono now fully remembers everything that happened in her life." She took off her black gloves. "Trinity timed it well."

"Hmm. That's good." Dias remained expressionless at the thought.

"Well?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Well?"

"HOW DO YOU WANT TO PROCEED?"

Dias rubbed his face in annoyance.

"Our main objective is to have minimal involvement in her obliteration. So don't waste your time giving lip service and making her believe she's not weak, and everyone's willing to forgive her. If she has the strength and will to get through this, then we lend a hand."

The room remained silent as the gravity of his words sunk in.

"That's the complete opposite of what _**he **_recommended." Tenshi blew her cheeks considering the idea.

"It has to be effective." Dias argued. "In order to make sure she stays stronger we let her take the initiative in helping herself."

"That's also the complete opposite of what someone like you would -" Asena's words were cut off as Dias glared at her, daring her to say more.

He stood up abruptly.

"I know perfectly well what I would have done. This meeting is adjourned."

"NO IT IS NOT." Asena banged her fist on the tabletop in exasperation.

"What is it now?" His voice tinged with contempt.

"How do you honestly expect her to get obliterated?"

"Easy. First we let her-" Dias stopped in mid-sentence.

_Oh. That._

"Finally realized, huh?" She smirked.

He nodded. _I forgot about that._

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I am completely lost. What's the problem?" Tenshi asked.

"Simple. The root of her main regret: Makoto Naegi."

Tenshi considered the words.

"You're right. That's indeed difficult."

"More than difficult. He's not supposed to exist here. If handled wrongly, this situation would progress into a complete clusterf- oh you know what I mean." Dias threw his hands up in despair.

_Naegi Makoto. Sayaka Maizono. A definite necessity. Now what do I do about you?_

"But does she need to be forgiven by him in the first place?" Tenshi pointed out as she once again perused the student folder. "At the time, I believe she was driven into despair by Monokuma. Can we really blame her for attempted murder and framing?"

"She was weak. She succumbed to despair. Her life was not in danger of any sorts, yet she attempted to murder." Asena reasoned.

"Is that something we can pinpoint and push the blame towards? Being weak I mean."

"It's because she was weak in will that she didn't manage to kill Kuwata. She hesitated. _Oh I need to get out of here. I need to murder him and not let anyone find out! Wait! I don't want to frame Naegi-kun. _Oh bitch please." Dias sighed.

"It's contradictions like that which ultimately bites back. I'll bet my next meal ticket that had Monokuma articulated more about the procedure of the school trial, she would not have tried to murder."

Dias's lip curled.

"Yeah, of course that would be _your_ area of expertise."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh of course. It just so happened that-"

"GUYS." Tenshi interrupted. "Can we please get back on subject?"

Dias realized how loud he was speaking before in comparison. He lapsed into a period of silence, _not guilt_ he reminded himself, before returning to the subject at hand.

"Sorry, it just came out all of a sudden."

Ignoring him, Asena quickly redirected the conversation back to the task at hand.

"Underneath that mask she wears as an idol, there is nothing."

"Yes. Our job is to let her find herself."

"_Without _intervention from Naegi Makoto?" Dias pressured.

"Realistically speaking, forgiving herself would be more effective than him forgiving her." Tenshi smiled. "After all, you yourself are your biggest fan."

"Touching, Nanami." Dias' eyes betrayed a hint of sarcasm at her statement. "Mushy as it may be, you do have a point. Perhaps we can blame the school life of mutual killing, I'll give you that. But on the matter of her identity, should we allow the lie to become the truth?"

"Why not? If she finds comfort in her idol personality, yet lives more for herself and less of others, she would be perfect. She could live her life truthfully and happily, well, as much as society allows, anyway."

...

"I've decided. Here's the plan."

After the briefing, the two girls weighed his words.

"Risky." Asena said at last.

"It's been done before, or something like that at least."

"Alright. We begin this plan during her struggle to come to turns with her past. Adjourned. Asena, get to the data room and monitor Sayaka for the time being."

Passively, she obeyed.

With the leaving of Asena, the air of tension seemed to vanish from the room, as Dias once again clambered onto the plush sofa.

Tenshi studied him appraisingly.

"What?"

"Why do you hate her so?"

"Nanami, that really is none of your business."

"She does feel some degree of remorse, I think."

"Fat lot of good that does." He wavered.

Uncomfortable silence followed. Tenshi resumed her fiddling of her 3DS.

"You never told me what happened to you afterwards."

The impact of the words were that of a bombshell in the tranquil atmosphere of the room.

"I have my reasons." He said at last.

"Trinity knows..." She pouted. "And that must mean _he_ knows as well."

"Trinity lived through it. And don't even think about getting the truth from him. I made him swear not to tell without my permission."

_**KO!**_

He looked up in time to see Ryu completely fracture Ken's jawline in a Metsu Shoryuken.

"I won't." She said simply as round 2 began.

_**Hadouken! Hadouken! Hadou-TATSUMAKI!**_

"Philosophy is all about the perspective." She mused. "Can Ryu's constant barrage of fireballs be considered zoning, a true tactic employed by the best to dictate control of the match, or just be considered spamming like a noob? They are quite frankly, nearly the same thing."

"They're both effective."

"Spamming doesn't work at high levels." She quickly moved the joystick in a _forward-down-down forward _movement in reaction to Ken's jump-in.

"Also, there is the debate on whether characters in a game are truly balanced, and can compete on the same plane, and it's purely the players at fault if you don't perform well, or is it just that the character is absolutely obsolete and useless. Much like whether humans are provided equal amounts of skills in life, or whether all men are indeed, not created equal."

"Street Fighter really isn't the best medium to discuss philosophy." Dias laughed.

"Oh really? T-hawk vs Blanka, anyone? I assure you you can stick your hand up your rear and safely say that THAT has to be the worst matchup in Street Fighter. Life is unfair for some people in certain situations."

"Ok, ok."

As the words '_You win!' _flashed across the screen, Dias lazily got up.

"Leaving already?"

"I fancy a snack." Feigning innocence, he marched briskly towards the door.

"Will you tell me one day, about how you died?"

_... _

"Soon." The door gently closed shut.

Nanami pursed her lips. The promise bore little weight, as the vagueness of such an answer became apparent.

Resigned, she returned to her game, where Seth was firing Ryu out of his washing machine of an abdomen.

_I'll have work to do._

_**Sorry for the delay. Screw Recurrence relations and Geometric progression :(**_

_**I'll try to make the next chapter longer than normal.  
**_


End file.
